Chapter 326: Obtaining the Spiritual Medicine

Chapter 326: Obtaining the Spiritual Medicine

For someone of Ning Xiaochuan's current cultivation level, reattaching a freshly severed leg was an exceedingly simple task.

The Ninth-Grade Mystic Beast blood within the severed leg had already been mostly extracted and preserved by Ning Xiaochuan. Blood from a Ninth-Grade Mystic Beast was not an easy resource to come by.

The White Fox Heir’s severed leg was quickly reattached, and thanks to the powerful regenerative abilities of a Ninth-Grade Mystic Beast, it was fully healed within an hour, allowing the White Fox Heir to move as swiftly as before.

"Hahaha! My leg is truly healed! Ye Nan Tian, Nie Lanxin, I swear I’ll make your deaths excruciating!" The White Fox Heir clenched its fists tightly and roared furiously at the sky, its voice filled with such resentment that it sent dust and stones flying across the ground.

It then turned its gaze to Ning Xiaochuan, narrowing its eyes coldly. "Ning Xiaochuan, you actually helped me reattach my leg. You must have ulterior motives. What do you want from me?"

Ning Xiaochuan stood with his hands behind his back, staring into the distance. "600 km from here lies a black city, once the dwelling place of the Heavenly Emperor’s mount. Within that city grows a Spiritual Medicine. I want you to retrieve it for me. Bring it back, and I’ll return the Blood City Iron Seal to you. After that, our grudges will be settled."

"Spiritual Medicine..."

The White Fox Heir had initially intended to kill Ning Xiaochuan the moment its leg healed. But upon hearing the words "Spiritual Medicine," it forcibly suppressed its murderous intent.

Squinting warily, it asked, "Why don’t you retrieve it yourself?"

Ning Xiaochuan sighed. "As I’ve already said, that city was once inhabited by the Heavenly Emperor’s mount. Humans cannot enter—only Mystic Beasts can."

The White Fox Heir’s spirits lifted, and it inwardly sneered. So only Mystic Beasts can enter? No wonder Ning Xiaochuan had to beg me. Heh. That Spiritual Medicine… if I can obtain it, my cultivation will advance tremendously. Then crushing Ning Xiaochuan will be child’s play!

Unaware of the black city’s exact location, it decided to use Ning Xiaochuan to find the Spiritual Medicine first, then eliminate him afterward.

The White Fox Heir burst into laughter. "So it’s just a trivial matter like this? Very well, Brother Ning, I’ll definitely retrieve the Spiritual Medicine for you."

"The Heir is being surprisingly cooperative?" Ning Xiaochuan feigned surprise.

The White Fox Heir grinned. "Nonsense! Brother Ning, you repaid my hostility with kindness by reattaching my leg. That’s a great debt of gratitude!"

"Then let’s not delay. We should go retrieve the Spiritual Medicine immediately," Ning Xiaochuan said.

Both the White Fox Heir and Ning Xiaochuan harbored their own schemes as they hurried toward the black city. Before long, they arrived outside its walls.

"There really is an ancient city here..."

The White Fox Heir had initially been suspicious, but now all its doubts vanished. After all, if Ning Xiaochuan had wanted to kill it, he could have done so when it was injured—there was no need for such an elaborate ruse.

Ning Xiaochuan stood on a higher vantage point, pointing toward the city and saying, "See that? The Spiritual Medicine is right there. Sigh, I discovered this Spiritual Medicine half a month ago, but no matter what method I tried, I couldn’t breach the black city. It’s like staring at a treasure mountain but being unable to enter—truly frustrating."

The White Fox Heir’s gaze was completely captivated by the Spiritual Medicine within the city. It was a Three-Leaved Life Grass, radiating a dazzling white mist. At the center of its leaves was a Life Pearl as large as a fist, and above the pearl hovered the ethereal silhouette of a dancing young maiden.

"It’s even nurtured a 'Medicine Spirit'—no doubt, this is a genuine Spiritual Medicine." Suppressing his excitement, the White Fox Heir eyed the Small Red Dragon crawling on the ground and grew suspicious. "Don’t you have a Small Mystic Beast? Why not use it to help you retrieve the medicine?"

Ning Xiaochuan’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed and shook his head. "Its cultivation is too weak to break the city’s restriction. With your Martial Path prowess, perhaps you could attempt to force your way in."

The White Fox Heir sneered inwardly. Ning Xiaochuan is a complete fool, trusting me so easily. Once I break in, the Spiritual Medicine will be mine—there’s no way I’ll leave any for you!

As the White Fox Heir forcefully shattered the luminous barrier outside the black city, Ning Xiaochian immediately signaled Nie Lanzhi to flee on the Double-headed Stone Beast—as far as possible.

A cataclysmic upheaval was about to unfold here.

"Small Red Dragon, Merge!" Ning Xiaochuan began his own preparations, ready to strike at any moment.

The Small Red Dragon instantly transformed into strands of crimson Dragon Aura, coalescing into a set of scarlet Armor that enveloped Ning Xiaochuan’s entire body.

Immediately after, Ning Xiaochuan set up a Concealment Formation, completely masking his presence.

Not long after the White Fox Heir barged into the black city, the ground trembled violently. The palaces and towers within the city collapsed, undergoing a sinister transformation.

The White Fox Heir’s expression changed as a sense of overwhelming danger surged within him. Suddenly realizing the trap, he cursed aloud, "Ning Xiaochuan, you bastard! You’ve doomed me!"

He immediately reverted to his true form and turned to flee, desperate to escape the city.

But it was too late.

Every stone in the city was enveloped in black light, merging into a towering Stone Beast Giant over 100 meters tall. The colossal creature crushed the White Fox Heir within its stony body, squeezing him toward its abdomen.

The White Fox Heir’s body contorted under the pressure, utterly powerless against the Stone Beast Giant’s might.

Clenching his teeth, his eyes brimming with hatred, he cursed Ning Xiaochuan’s ancestors eighteen generations back.

"Beast Relic!"

The White Fox Heir spat out a white pearl from his mouth. The pearl’s glow intensified, so blinding it was impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

This was his life-saving trump card—the Beast Relic—bestowed upon him by the White Fox Ancestor.

The so-called "Beast Relic" was the relic bone left behind after a high-tier Profound Beast of the seventh rank or above passed away.

The relic bone had been refined by the White Fox Ancestor using a Divine Ability, imbued with his power—capable of annihilating even the most formidable foes.

The White Fox Heir had originally planned to use the "Beast Relic" within the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace to suppress powerful enemies. However, in this critical moment, it had no other choice but to unleash the relic's power to save its life.

"Boom!"

The Beast Relic shattered, condensing into a massive Beast Claw over 100 meters wide, which smashed the 100-meter-tall Stone Beast Giant into shattered fragments of rock.

"Rumble—"

The Spiritual Medicine-grade "Three-Leaved Life Grass" and the White Fox Heir tumbled out from the massive stones.

Seizing the opportunity, Ning Xiaochuan immediately rushed out from the Concealment Formation, flapping his dragon wings as he flew into the rubble to retrieve the Spiritual Medicine-grade "Three-Leaved Life Grass."

The Three-Leaved Life Grass had already gained sentience and sprouted a pair of white luminous wings, transforming into a streak of white light as it attempted to escape.

Ning Xiaochuan had anticipated this and immediately activated his Martial Arts Divine Ability, suppressing the "Three-Leaved Life Grass" and storing it inside the Heaven and Earth Bag.

"Finally, I've obtained this Spiritual Medicine!" Ning Xiaochuan trembled with excitement.

For a Heart Nurturer, this was nothing short of a priceless treasure.

"Ning Xiaochuan, I swear to fight you to the death!" The White Fox Heir was so furious its lungs nearly burst, its hatred for Ning Xiaochuan bone-deep. Blood spilled from its mouth as it stood battered and ragged, throwing a punch toward Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan glanced at it sideways and casually unleashed a Great Palm Strike, sending the White Fox Heir flying into the rubble.

"Whoosh—"

A dark glow surged from the shattered stones on the ground as they began to tremble.

The Stone Beast Giant possessed an Undying Body. Though shattered by the Beast Relic, it could still reassemble itself.

It was reviving.

Ning Xiaochuan's heart jolted in alarm as he immediately spread his crimson dragon wings and took to the skies to escape.

The White Fox Heir was not so fortunate. Trapped once more within the fissures of stone, no amount of struggling could free it. The Stone Beast Giant's power was simply beyond its resistance—unless it had a second Beast Relic.

In the end, the White Fox Heir was completely devoured by the Stone Beast Giant, its flesh and blood merging into the stone. Whether its bones had been utterly crushed remained unknown.

"Roar!"

Enraged that its Spiritual Medicine had been stolen, the Stone Beast Giant went berserk, chasing after Ning Xiaochuan with maddened fury.

"Rumble—"

The entire earth shook as its furious roars echoed across the heavens, lingering endlessly.

Only after three full days did the Stone Beast Giant finally calm down, reverting into a stone city nestled within the black mountains.

In a secluded valley, the soil loosened as Ning Xiaochuan and the Small Red Dragon emerged from beneath.

"Finally, it's quieted down." Ning Xiaochuan let out a deep sigh of relief.

The power of that Stone Beast Giant was truly terrifying—capable of splitting mountains and severing rivers. Even a Martial Venerable would likely avoid confronting it head-on. If it had found them, the outcome would have been dire.

"First, I need to find Nie Lanzhi. She's too young to handle danger on her own."

Ning Xiaochuan wasn't in a hurry to refine the Spiritual Medicine. Instead, he followed the guidance of the Mystic Beast Manual to locate Nie Lanzhi.

Nie Lanzhi had left riding the Double-headed Stone Beast, and since the Mystic Beast Manual could track the beast's aura, finding her would naturally follow.

As expected, she had encountered major trouble—surrounded by over a dozen stone beasts. Fortunately, the Double-headed Stone Beast's speed was fast enough for her to escape.

"Roar!"

More than a dozen stone beasts were chasing after her, including stone oxen, stone tigers, and stone birds, all with massive bodies. Among them, the largest stone beast stood over 40 meters tall, resembling a Dragon Elephant in form.

"Little Shuang... hurry and find the Minor Marquis, go find the Minor Marquis..." Nie Lanzhi sat atop the Double-headed Stone Beast, her face pale with terror. Behind her, dust billowed as the roars of the stone beasts echoed in her ears, growing closer and closer.

Ning Xiaochuan stood on the distant horizon and summoned the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron, transforming it into a massive 9-meter-tall cauldron.

Channeling Profound Qi into the cauldron, its mouth instantly released a tremendous suction force, drawing all the stone beasts inside the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron.

"Roar!"

The 40-meter-tall stone Dragon Elephant possessed the greatest strength and attempted to resist, swinging its thick stone tail to strike at the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron.