What Yunyouzi sent back was not only the path through the restrictions, but also intelligence on Luo Xingnan's group and the situation inside the mountain.
To break through the restrictions as quickly as possible, they had paid the price of two lives.
One was Wu Chen, and the other was the man surnamed Yin.
To save his own life, the man surnamed Yin had betrayed Sheng Yuanzi without hesitation. His ruthless, decisive conduct had instead made the others even more wary of him, so when Luo Xingnan forced him to scout the path, not a single soul spoke up on his behalf.
Yunyouzi was powerless to stop it either.
The potential allies they could have rallied had dwindled once again, while the strength of Luo Xingnan's faction remained completely unscathed.
With Yunyouzi's intelligence, Qin Sang and Ge Yuan had a far easier time than Luo Xingnan and his party.
However, Yunyouzi had not waited until he entered the mountain to send word back; otherwise, by the time they arrived, they might not even get a sip of broth. Therefore, Qin Sang and Ge Yuan had to break through the final two restrictions relying solely on their own abilities.
Though perils arose on all sides, fortunately there were close calls without real danger. Passing through the restrictions, they arrived at the foot of the mountain, where swirling clouds and mist filled their vision.
It was identical to the scene viewed from outside.
Surrounded by clouds and mist, they could no longer take in the entire view as they had from beyond. The radiant glow of the spirit herbs was completely obscured from sight, leaving them to rely on memory to recall the positions of the spirit herbs.
Even so, Qin Sang and Ge Yuan did not act rashly.
What surprised Qin Sang was that the mountain did not appear to be lined with dense restrictions and lurking dangers at every step, as he had imagined before.
As far as the eye could see, there was no danger.
Qin Sang mobilized his spiritual sense and probed into the thick mist. Reaching the outermost limit of his spiritual sense, he likewise found no trace of any restrictions.
By now, Luo Xingnan and the others were nowhere to be seen either.
"This..."
Ge Yuan had clearly noticed this as well. Deeply astonished, he said in disbelief, "Could it be... that this place really is just the herb garden of the cave dwelling's master? That only the foot of the mountain was sealed off with restrictions, without any other measures left behind? The spirit herbs here... can be harvested at will?"
Both Qin Sang and Ge Yuan wore somber expressions.
This completely contradicted their earlier expectations. They had thought the mountain would be riddled with heavy restrictions, making herb harvesting exceedingly difficult.
Only under such circumstances would they have had a chance to claim a share of the spoils.
Yet now they discovered that not a single formation or restriction existed here, and the spirit herbs could be picked at will. No matter how lofty the mountain peak was, traversing it was a matter of moments for immortal cultivators.
There were only twenty-one spirit herbs in total.
For all they knew, Luo Xingnan and his party might have already cleaned the place out!
Frustration and unwillingness were written all over Ge Yuan's face.
After weathering countless hardships and endless scheming to reach this point, with the spirit herbs practically before their eyes, going home empty-handed was something no one could accept.
*Whoosh!*
Ge Yuan's figure flickered as he dashed up the mountain.
Qin Sang was not a bit slower than Ge Yuan. Paying Ge Yuan no heed, he bolted straight in the direction of that streak of mysterious yellow qi.
The Xuanwen Huangjing was of paramount importance to him. If that spirit herb was not the Xuanwen Huangjing, so be it, but if it truly was, he could not easily give it up under any circumstances.
Yunyouzi had also mentioned that very few people truly understood the medicinal effects of the Xuanwen Heyun Pill; most likely believed it only served to restore one's foundation.
Among cultivators, those with damaged foundations were an extreme rarity.
Whoever ended up obtaining the herb, there might still be room for negotiation and trade.
Qin Sang and Ge Yuan had barely moved, not even three zhang out, when a massive boom suddenly erupted from above.
*Boom!*
The deafening roar shook the heavens, followed immediately by a violent tremor throughout the entire mountain.
*Crash!*
It was the sound of shattering rock.
Then, an ear-piercing screech suddenly tore through the sky.
The screech was piercingly sharp, laden with deep fury and savagery. It was like a demonic sound capable of penetrating the eardrums; even though it came from the distant mountain peak, the sound still caused immense discomfort upon reaching their ears.
Accompanying the screech were the simultaneous enraged shouts of several people, one of whom was none other than Luo Xingnan!
Immediately after, chaos erupted on the mountain summit.
The shockwaves of clashing spiritual power rolled down from afar, causing the clouds and mist across the mountain to churn violently.
Similar shrieks rose and fell one after another. Though far less deep and potent than the first, when mixed together their momentum was staggering, making the roars of Luo Xingnan and the others sound frail and feeble by comparison.
Their opponents were clearly some kind of monster beast—and not only were there many, but their strength also seemed formidable. From the sound of it, their shouts grew increasingly hurried, hardly sounding as if they held the upper hand.
However, without seeing it with their own eyes, they could not be certain of the true situation.
Qin Sang and Ge Yuan halted abruptly. Exchanging glances, they were both uncertain and astonished, but even more so, pleasantly surprised.
They both thought of the group of hook serpents guarding the entrance.
No wonder there were no restrictions on the mountain—it turned out there were guardian spirit beasts here as well!
This was great news for them. Luo Xingnan and his party were clearly entangled with the guardian spirit beasts, which meant the spirit herbs had not yet been harvested.
"Can you tell what kind of monster beasts they are, Daoist?" Ge Yuan asked via voice transmission.
Qin Sang listened intently. There were countless types of monster beasts, making them difficult to identify by sound alone. He shook his head. "I can't tell, but these monster beasts are definitely fierce. That was Senior Yunyouzi's voice—he's also been entangled by the beasts!"
Yunyouzi was usually steady and composed, yet now he was roaring repeatedly; very likely, he was sending them a signal.
"Harvest the herbs!"
Ge Yuan made up his mind on the spot.
Luo Xingnan's group and the monster beasts were keeping each other occupied, presenting the best possible opportunity for the two of them. If they didn't harvest the herbs now, when would they?
Ge Yuan was about to dart toward the location of a spirit herb in his memory when Qin Sang stopped him.
"Senior Yunyouzi and I analyzed this: the brightness of the glow is very likely related to the quality of the spirit herbs. Most of the light near the foot of the mountain is faint and thin; the most precious spirit herbs are all on the mountain top. The battle can change in the blink of an eye, so don't waste time down here."
With that, Qin Sang sped toward the summit.
Listening to the sounds from the mountaintop again, Ge Yuan wondered if it was just his imagination, but the screeches of the monster beasts seemed to have weakened slightly.
Regardless of whether it was an illusion or not, he knew Qin Sang was right and hurriedly followed.
The two concealed their auras as best they could, flying at top speed.
"Fellow Daoist Ge, did you ever hear Senior Yunyouzi mention which spirit herb he needs?" Qin Sang asked in a hurried tone.
Yunyouzi was also clearly trapped by the guardian spirit beasts.
Once he obtained the Xuanwen Huangjing, Qin Sang intended to help Yunyouzi grab the spirit herb he needed as well.
After all, Yunyouzi deserved the greatest credit for enabling them to reach this point; Qin Sang was not about to burn bridges after crossing the river.
"I don't know," Ge Yuan shook his head, then turned his gaze toward the front-left, speaking with evident delight, "I remember an aura of a spirit herb over there—its brightness was among the very best of all the herbs!"
With that, Ge Yuan shot past Qin Sang, heading straight toward the front-left.
*It seems I can only search later to see if there is any spirit herb that can repair the soul. Fortunately, I recognize quite a few spirit herbs myself,* Qin Sang thought to himself.
Watching Ge Yuan's retreating back, Qin Sang pondered for a brief moment, then changed direction as well and trailed after him.
Chapter 297