The Demonic Sect is unlike the orthodox sects. I hope the readers remember our domain.
Ordinary folk wouldn't choose to come here unless they were left with no other choice. Only those with nowhere else to go would try their luck with the Demonic Sect.
After all, the Demonic Sect practitioners are also cultivators, and they too can soar through the skies and prolong their lives.
In the towns and surrounding family estates, they survive under the shadow of the Heavenly Sound Sect, sometimes even cooperating with them.
Jiang Hao was sold to the Heavenly Sound Sect.
Compared to the demon caves, it was indeed much safer.
After Liu Xingchen left, Jiang Hao continued on his path.
He intended to visit the Spirit Herb Garden to see what the Hundred Bone Forest had planned.
Since Liu Xingchen came to warn him, there must be some real danger.
"If all spies around me were like Liu Xingchen, that'd be perfect," Jiang Hao thought to himself.
Reflecting back, it's been quite some time since he last encountered the Female Demoness.
He glanced at his status panel.
[Name: Jiang Hao]
[Age: 22]
[Cultivation: Late-Stage Golden Core]
[Techniques: Hundred Revolutions of Heavenly Sound, Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture]
[Abilities: Nine Revolutions Death Substitution (Unique), Daily Appraisal, Clear and Tranquil Heart, Hidden Spirit Manifestation]
[Vital Qi: 77/100 (Trainable)]
[Cultivation: 71/100 (Trainable)]
[Abilities: 0/3 (Not Acquirable)]
"Twenty-two years old already."
He recalled congratulating himself when he turned twenty; it felt like just yesterday.
However, Hong Yuye hadn't appeared for six months, bringing a tranquility to his heart during this time.
He wished to see her again.
Just to understand to what extent he could remain calm.
Without Hong Yuye, he was always in a "sage-like" state.
Which made it hard to clearly identify any weaknesses in his mindset.
"Looking forward to her arrival."
At the Spirit Herb Garden,
Many people gathered, busying themselves around.
At the center was a seemingly indifferent fairy.
Clad in an off-white attire, her hair was styled simply, accentuating her refined features.
Fairy Ning Xuan.
One of the true disciples from the Broken Hearts Cliff, Jiang Hao had only seen her once before.
He didn't know her cultivation level back then, but now it seemed she possessed extraordinary strength.
Likely surpassing the Golden Core stage.
Just a glance, and he retracted his gaze, unwilling to tempt fate by staring.
"Greetings, Senior Sister," Jiang Hao said respectfully, lowering his head.
"Um," Ning Xuan replied coldly, then slowly spoke:
"The Hundred Bone Forest plans to plant some spirit herbs here. I've heard you have some misunderstanding with them.
If anything happens to the spirit herbs, blame falls on me.
Just help guide them and allocate suitable areas."
Her treatment of Jiang Hao was neither dismissive nor favorable, but rather neutral.
Regarding his top ten merit achievements last time, she had her suspicions.
The seemingly open and straightforward Barbarian Dragon in fact had intricate schemes. Why would he grant merits without reason?
It was but a means of safeguarding himself.
Combined with comments from some of the sect's veterans, she understood that this junior brother might well bring calamity upon himself.
Thus, he didn't warrant her attention.
"Understood," Jiang Hao nodded agreeably.
He wasn't rattled by her indifferent tone or her casual glance.
A warm and friendly demeanor would've been far more unsettling.
With that, Fairy Ning Xuan turned and left, providing no further instructions.
"Jiang Junior Brother," a mature woman approached Jiang Hao and said politely:
"I'm overseeing the spirit herbs from the Hundred Bone Forest this time. You can call me Lian Qin."
"Senior Sister Lian," Jiang Hao saluted.
Just from a glance, Jiang Hao could tell this woman wasn't comparable to Li Kai; she was a formidable Golden Core early-stage practitioner.
It was astonishing that overlooking spirit herbs would require someone of such caliber.
"The spirit herbs this time are particularly valuable, so I must handle them personally. I might trouble you more often," said Fairy Lian Qin lightly.
"If you find any places unsuitable for planting, feel free to inform me, and I'll relocate them.
Oh, in addition to planting in the Spirit Herb Garden, we have some that need to be planted in the woods.
We'll set up the defensive formations ourselves."
This Senior Sister, appearing to be around thirty, had a slightly pale complexion, perhaps due to her cultivation technique.
Naturally, she wasn't lacking in looks, and her demeanor was amiable.
'If the Hundred Bone Forest really came targeting me, this could be troublesome.'
Unlike Li Kai, who was straightforward and clear in his intentions,
What lay ahead with her was an enigma.
"Senior Sister Lian is too kind. Of course, I'll do my best to assist," Jiang Hao replied.
Subsequently, the people from the Hundred Bone Forest began planting various spirit herbs in the Spirit Herb Garden, some of which Jiang Hao recognized, while others were new to him.
He resolved to thoroughly research and investigate them.
They also planted some peculiar herbs and trees beneath the Broken Hearts Cliff.
The entire day was a bustle of activity.
Jiang Hao followed them throughout, detecting nothing amiss.
By evening, the Hundred Bone Forest's people wrapped up and departed.
Which left Jiang Hao puzzled.
"That's it?"
If there was an issue with the herbs, it would be on Senior Sister Ning Xuan to account for it, which felt rather surreal to him.
"Was I overthinking it?"
In response, Jiang Hao could only watch and wait.
He spent the following seven days keeping an eye on the spirit herbs from the Hundred Bone Forest and refining talismans while cultivating.
His late-stage cultivation was stable now, and attaining perfection wasn't far off.
Around three months, give or take.
Then he'd be ready to comprehend the third form of the Heavenly Blade.
As for the spirit herbs, he'd examined them thoroughly, and they presented no problems.
The Hundred Bone Forest made no moves either.
On this particular day, Jiang Hao planned to cultivate, intending to visit the market tomorrow to purchase materials for talismans.
Currently, he had a mere two hundred spirit stones.
Still unable to amass wealth.
Just as he sat to cultivate, he felt piercing pain in his meridians.
Startled, he opened his eyes.
"What’s happening?"
In his usual practice of the Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture, he had never encountered such trouble.
He immediately checked his body, finding no abnormalities.
He tried circulating the scripture again, but the pain and blockage persisted.
"Appraise."
Ceasing his cultivation, Jiang Hao immediately appraised himself.
Yet, everything seemed normal.
Aside from the presence of the Heaven Extinction Gu Poison, nothing else surfaced.
"So it’s not my body. What then has gone awry?"
This week, if there had been any change, it would be the Hundred Bone Forest planting some spirit herbs.
As Liu Xingchen had mentioned, often one unknowingly falls into White Night’s traps.
The following day,
Jiang Hao reached the location where the Hundred Bone Forest had planted herbs in the woods.
"Appraise."
[Thousand Feather Flower: The leaves of the Thousand Feather Flower contain rich spiritual energy, useful in alchemy to ease spirit herb conflicts. Planted here as one of White Night's masterpieces, it's meant to subtly and invisibly arrest your progress in cultivation.]
White Night...
Such methods, Jiang Hao had never heard of; no wonder he was deemed dangerous.
"I need to find out his whereabouts and also check his cultivation level."
On his visit to the Spirit Herb Garden, he offhandedly asked Cheng Chou to find Fairy Lian Qin, to shuffle the herb placement.
To see if it yields an effect.
Fairy Lian Qin arrived promptly, listening to Jiang Hao's explanation without any hesitation or reluctance.
Straightforwardly, she inquired about suitable locations, ready to transplant them accordingly.