Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 868: Finding Treasure Trove of Spiritual Herbs

The Verdant Eternal Spring Essence thrummed within Wang Jian's dantian, a vibrant, distinct wellspring of pure life energy, separate yet harmonious with his potent Steller Qi. It was a cool, invigorating river flowing alongside a starlit, demonic sea. His body felt revitalized, stronger, every cell singing with renewed vitality. The brutal encounter with the Duskscale Earthrender Serpent had pushed him to the brink, but the rewards were beyond measure.

His first act, even before the last vestiges of the emerald glow fully faded from his skin, was to deal with the colossal serpent's remains. With a thought, his spiritual energy reached into his largest storage pouch, and the thirty-foot-long corpse of the Mid-Grade Second Rank beast vanished, neatly stored away. Its scales, bones, blood, and especially its inner core, were all priceless treasures, materials for future crafting, alchemy, or potent body tempering solutions.

As the serpent disappeared, the grotto fell into a profound, almost unnerving silence. But Wang Jian's newly enhanced senses, now acutely attuned to Wood elemental energies due to the absorbed Verdant Eternal Spring Essence, picked up a persistent, subtle thrum of life force, stronger than any individual spirit herb he had encountered thus far. It was a chorus of vibrant energies, emanating from a direction he hadn't fully explored, seemingly deeper within this hidden network of caves.

'More?' His eyes narrowed, a flicker of keen interest igniting within. The Verdant Eternal Spring Essence had been a monumental find. If there was something else of similar value…

He moved, his revitalized body responding with effortless grace. He followed the subtle pull of the wood qi, the life force acting like a beacon. The sensation led him deeper into the maze-like passages he had briefly entered before, the ones where he'd encountered the Stonefang Shriekers.

The passage narrowed, then seemed to end abruptly at a solid wall of dark, damp stone. But the life force thrummed undeniably from beyond it.

Wang Jian placed a hand on the wall. It felt cold, unyielding. He channeled a pulse of his Steller Qi. 'No hidden mechanism.'

He didn't hesitate. Glacial Bite was in his hand. 'Flowing Metal Slash!' His sword, coated in a layer of frigid, dense Qi, struck the stone wall.

CRACK!

The wall shuddered, cracks appearing, but it held. It was thicker than he anticipated. He struck again, and again, each blow precise, powerful, sending shards of rock flying. The sound echoed dully in the confined space. Finally, with a groan, a section of the wall crumbled, revealing another dark passage beyond.

He stepped through, the air on the other side noticeably richer, sweeter, imbued with an even more potent aroma of ancient earth and thriving spiritual flora. This new passage was shorter, ending at what appeared to be another, larger cavern.

But this entrance was not naturally formed. It was sealed by a shimmering, translucent barrier – an array formation. Faint, complex runes pulsed within its light, hinting at its protective nature. The barrier was old, its energy fluctuations slightly uneven, but still clearly active.

'An array. Guarding something significant.'

Wang Jian approached cautiously. He could feel the concentrated chorus of life energies, a veritable symphony of Wood elemental power, emanating from within the cavern. His Verdant Eternal Spring Essence resonated with it, almost joyfully.

He reached out, his fingers brushing against the shimmering barrier. A faint, repulsive force pushed back. He infused a wisp of his Steller Qi into his fingertips, probing its structure.

'Old,' he assessed. 'The runes are archaic, the energy flow slightly degraded. Probably Wood elemental in nature, or perhaps a neutral protective ward.'

He stepped back, Glacial Bite held ready. He needed to test its strength, find its weaknesses. He struck the barrier with a moderate Flowing Metal Slash.

BONG!

A deep, resonant hum echoed through the cavern as his blade connected. The barrier rippled violently, absorbing the impact, but it held firm. A few runes flickered erratically, then stabilized.

'Resilient. But not unbreakable. The energy drain on that impact was noticeable. It's drawing power from somewhere, but the connection feels… frayed.'

He walked along the perimeter of the arrayed entrance, his eyes scanning every inch of the shimmering barrier, his spiritual sense, augmented by the Wood essence within him, trying to perceive the flow of energy, the stress points, the subtle imperfections that inevitably developed in an array over millennia.

After a few minutes of careful observation, his gaze locked onto a specific point near the bottom left of the barrier. The runes there flickered with a slightly greater instability than elsewhere. The energy flow seemed to bottleneck, creating a minute, almost imperceptible strain.

'There. That's the weak point. A flaw in the original design, or damage accumulated over centuries of neglect.'

He positioned himself. This wouldn't be easy. Even a weakened ancient array could possess significant defensive power. He needed to overwhelm its restorative capabilities at that precise point with a single, devastating burst of power.

He took a deep breath, his Steller Qi churning within his dantian. 'Ether Pulse Surge!'

The familiar rush of amplified spiritual energy flooded his meridians. His senses sharpened, his Qi flow quickened, the air around him thrumming with barely contained power. His ten breaths of enhanced capability began.

He didn't hesitate. He poured almost all of his amplified Twelfth Stage Steller Qi into Glacial Bite. The blade glowed with an intense, frigid light, its Frost Iron core resonating powerfully. 'Flowing Metal Slash!'

But this was no ordinary Flowing Metal Slash. This was empowered by his peak concentration, by the full force of his amplified cultivation, aimed with pinpoint accuracy at the identified weak point in the ancient array.

His sword descended like a falling star.

SHREEEEEE-CRACK!

An ear-splitting shriek of protesting energy tore through the cavern as Glacial Bite struck the weak point. The entire barrier flashed violently, runes exploding like fireworks. The point of impact spiderwebbed with cracks of pure, chaotic energy. For a moment, it held, fighting back with the accumulated power of ages.

Wang Jian gritted his teeth, pushing more Qi into the strike, his muscles straining, his spiritual sense locked onto the breaking point.

Then, with a final, shuddering groan that echoed like a dying beast, the ancient array shattered. Fragments of light and dissipating runes scattered like dust, and the entrance to the hidden cavern lay open before him.

He stood panting for a moment, the Ether Pulse Surge fading, leaving him feeling slightly drained but exhilarated. The array was broken.

He stepped through the now unguarded opening, and his breath caught in his throat.

The cavern beyond was a sight of almost unbelievable natural wonder. It wasn't vast, perhaps the size of a large temple hall, but it was a veritable treasure trove, a lost Eden of spiritual flora.

The air was thick with an intoxicating perfume of countless blooming spirit herbs, a symphony of sweet, spicy, earthy, and ethereal scents. The ambient Wood elemental Qi was so dense it was almost tangible, like breathing in pure life. Soft, multicolored glows emanated from dozens of different plant species, illuminating the cavern in a breathtaking, otherworldly light.

Over sixty distinct types of spirit herbs, many of which Wang Jian recognized from the most obscure passages of the Compendium of Immortal Herbs or from fragmented alchemical texts as being exceedingly rare, or even thought extinct, thrived here in perfect harmony.

His eyes, wide with astonishment and a dawning, avaricious joy, swept across the botanical marvels.

There were clusters of Celestial Jade Stalks, their translucent, jade-like stems pulsing with a cool, soothing light – prime ingredients for soul-strengthening elixirs.

Patches of Nine Petal Sun Orchids bloomed in vibrant hues of gold and crimson, radiating a gentle warmth, known for their ability to enhance Fire elemental affinity and purify Fire Qi.

Thick mats of Frozen Moon Root, resembling gnarled, silver-white ginger, grew in the cooler, shaded corners, emanating a chilling aura – perfect for concocting pills to aid Ice or Water cultivators, or for tempering yin-attribute spiritual energy.

He saw sprays of Star-Quill Ferns, their fronds tipped with tiny, starlight-like motes, said to be crucial for crafting high-grade perception-enhancing pellets.

Bushes laden with Glimmering Void Berries, their skins like tiny, swirling nebulae, known to aid in comprehending spatial energies, though their refinement was notoriously difficult.

And in the very center of the cavern, growing from a small mound of incredibly fertile, dark earth, was a small, gnarled tree, no taller than himself. Its bark was like polished obsidian, its leaves a deep, velvety emerald. Hanging from one of its branches was a single, perfect fruit.

The fruit was the size of a child's fist, its skin a luminous, pearlescent white, with faint, swirling patterns of gold and silver that seemed to shift and change like living constellations. It pulsed with an incredible, concentrated life force, even more potent than the Nine-Cycle Spirit Ginseng he had found earlier.

'The Thousand Cycle Vitality Peach!' Wang Jian's mind reeled. 'Legendary! Said to bloom only once every thousand years, and its fruit takes another thousand to ripen. Consuming it directly can supposedly extend a cultivator's lifespan by centuries, purify their physique, and significantly bolster their foundational cultivation, regardless of their realm!'

He approached the tree reverently. The air around it hummed with an almost sacred energy.

His gaze then returned to the wider cavern. Dozens more species, each more wondrous than the last. Herbs for strengthening meridians, for purifying Qi, for enhancing elemental affinities, for tempering the physical body to incredible degrees, even a few that were rumored to be catalysts in forging connections with nascent spiritual laws, crucial for advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm and beyond.

'These herbs… many of them are listed as primary or secondary ingredients for pills far beyond mere Foundation Establishment. Pills for Core Formation breakthroughs, for Nascent Soul condensation, for soul tempering… This isn't just a treasure trove; it's a direct path to the higher realms, if cultivated and utilized properly!'

A thought struck him. 'Liu Ruyan… her Crimson Pill Sect is renowned for alchemy. She might possess recipes for some of these. I must ensure I acquire every relevant scroll, every piece of alchemical knowledge she possesses, before our… association concludes.' His mind was already formulating plans.

He began the meticulous process of harvesting. He didn't pluck them haphazardly. For each plant, he recalled its specific harvesting requirements from the Compendium or other texts he had devoured. Some needed to be taken with their roots intact, others only their flowers or leaves at a specific stage of bloom. He used Glacial Bite to make clean cuts, his movements precise, careful not to damage the precious spiritual essences.

He had come prepared with an abundance of carved wooden boxes of various sizes, each lined with soft, spirit-neutral moss. As he harvested each herb, he carefully placed it within its designated box, then, with a thought, transferred the box into one of his many storage pouches.

The Celestial Jade Stalks, the Nine Petal Sun Orchids, the Frozen Moon Root, the Star-Quill Ferns, the Glimmering Void Berries… one by one, they joined his collection. The sheer volume was staggering.

Finally, he stood before the Thousand Cycle Vitality Peach tree. He reached out, his fingers gently closing around the luminous fruit. It felt warm, pulsing with life. With a soft twist, it came free from the branch. He placed it in his most secure, specially prepared jade box, then into his primary storage pouch.

As he surveyed the now significantly barer cavern – though he had deliberately left behind some seedlings and younger plants of each species where possible, a cultivator's habit of ensuring future harvests – a profound sense of satisfaction, a cold, thrilling joy, washed over him.

'With these herbs… and the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence now coursing through me… I can create my own private spirit garden within my cave dwelling at the sect. I can accelerate their growth, cultivate them generation after generation. The pellets I can concoct… they will fuel my ascent, and Lingshan's, to heights unimagined by these provincial cultivators. Core Formation? Nascent Soul? Those will be mere stepping stones.'

He felt truly, deeply happy, the kind of contentment that came from acquiring immense, game-changing power and resources.

A question nagged at him. Who could have created such a sanctuary within the deadly Blood Forbidden Ground? The array, though weakened by time, was sophisticated in its original design. The sheer variety and rarity of the herbs spoke of a master herbalist, an alchemist of profound knowledge.

He looked around the cavern again. His gaze fell upon the mound of incredibly fertile earth from which the Vitality Peach tree grew. It wasn't natural soil. It was… cultivated. Enriched over centuries.

'Perhaps… thousands of years ago, a powerful cultivator, a master of wood elemental arts and alchemy, stumbled upon this hidden grotto,' Wang Jian mused. 'At that time, the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence hadn't fully coalesced. Instead, this place was likely a natural confluence of incredibly pure, raw Wood elemental Qi, perfect for nurturing spiritual flora.'

'This ancient cultivator recognized its potential, established this hidden garden, planted these rare seeds, and set up the array to protect it. But time… time erodes all things. The cultivator never returned, or perhaps perished somewhere. The array has weakened. The raw Wood Qi eventually condensed into the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence I found. And now… I am the one who gained all these herbs.'

A faint smile played on his lips. Fortuitous encounters were the lifeblood of cultivation. And this… this was a river of fortune.

His work here was done. He glanced down at his robes. They were torn from the battle with the Earthrender Serpent, stained with its dark blood and his own, and dusted with rock powder from breaking through the cavern wall. He looked like a ruffian, not a composed Mystic Peak disciple.

With a thought, he retrieved a fresh set of simple grey outer sect robes from a storage pouch – he always carried spares – and quickly changed, discarding the tattered ones. He even took a moment to splash some water from a waterskin on his face and hands, removing the grime. Appearances mattered.

Now, it was time to rejoin Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan. He wondered how Fairy Liu was faring with the Blood Spirit Flame.

He retraced his steps through the maze-like passages, his movements swift and purposeful. The grotto where he'd fought the serpent was silent, the air still thick with the lingering scent of its blood.

He emerged back into the vast, steam-filled cavern where the Blood Spirit Flame burned.

The scene was different. The pulsating crimson and white flame atop the obsidian pedestal was noticeably dimmer, smaller. Liu Ruyan sat in a meditative posture before it, her hands forming complex seals, her medicinal green robes glowing faintly as she drew the flame's energy into herself. Her veiled face was serene, focused, though beads of sweat trickled down her temples.

Yue Lingshan stood guard a short distance away, her Verdant Willow Blade in hand, her posture alert. She saw Wang Jian emerge and her shoulders visibly relaxed, though she maintained her formal address.

"Junior Brother Wang! You've returned. We were beginning to grow… concerned."

Liu Ruyan opened her eyes, her absorption process seemingly complete. The Blood Spirit Flame was now just a fist-sized, flickering ember, its power mostly exhausted. A new, fiery intensity radiated from Liu Ruyan's aura, her temperament, while still ethereal, now possessed an added spark of potent, controlled heat. She looked… stronger, more vibrant.

She rose gracefully, a pleased smile touching her lips beneath her veil. "Senior Brother Wang! You are back! The flame… I have successfully integrated a significant portion of its essence. My control over alchemical fires will be greatly enhanced!" She looked genuinely happy, her usual serene composure tinged with triumph.

Yue Lingshan also turned to him, her veiled gaze questioning. "Indeed, Junior Brother Wang. You were gone for quite some time. Those side passages… were they truly so perilous?"

Wang Jian offered a calm, slightly weary smile. "Forgive my tardiness, Senior Sister Yue, Fairy Liu. The passages were indeed more extensive than I anticipated. I encountered several nests of those Stonefang Shriekers, and some rather tenacious Cave Crawlers. And then," he sighed dramatically, "I stumbled into a rather cunningly hidden illusion array. It took me a considerable while to discern its patterns and break free. A most vexing delay."

He made sure to look appropriately tired, as if he had indeed endured a significant ordeal. The truth of his monumental gains remained his, and his alone for now. Yue Lingshan would learn parts of it, in time, in private. Liu Ruyan would learn nothing.