"Later, he was recruited by several neutral factions, and he’s been doing fairly well here in the Three Cities of Wendao. However, he’s known for being vindictive, with ruthless tactics—best not to provoke him lightly..."

"The ruins of the Dragon Spirit Sect were jointly discovered by him and another Nascent Soul True Man."

"After a long exploration without results, they came up with the idea of selling tickets to enter the ruins."

Lin Chen nodded slightly after hearing this. Offending two Nascent Soul True Men for just four thousand Spirit Stones was indeed unnecessary.

Moreover, for Lin Chen at the moment, four thousand Spirit Stones were nothing.

From this perspective, True Man Linglong actually gauged it just right.

One thousand Spirit Stones isn’t a small sum for a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection, but they can still manage it with gritted teeth.

For Golden Core Cultivators, it’s no big deal; there’s no need to offend two Nascent Soul True Men over it.

As for the disciples of major factions, they were probably already on the whitelist.

The cultivators collecting money under True Man Linglong’s command would be polite and not mention the collection at all...

"Alas, in the end... it’s the cultivators from smaller factions and Loose Cultivators who suffer..."

Lin Chen sighed inwardly. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

At this time, Jiang Liqian continued to communicate through voice transmission:

"Senior Brother Lin, that token is essentially a credential. True Man Linglong enlisted many cultivators within the ruins."

"If you encounter them, just show the token... Otherwise, you’ll be harassed for no good reason..."

After hearing this transmission, Lin Chen’s vision darkened further.

A relic exploration turned into a playground by True Man Linglong.

Paying for protection doesn’t actually offer protection; not paying makes you a target instead.

Hmm, that’s very Tribulation Cultivator-like...

"It seems that after True Man Linglong went straight, he still isn’t honest... huh, just a bully of the weak."

Lin Chen sneered inwardly.

He always repays enmity, but it’s not time for revenge yet.

Having offended Lin Chen now, it would be Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect looking for True Man Longling afterward.

Lin Chen silently made a mental note of True Man Linglong.

...

After entering the ruins, Lin Chen distributed several tokens.

At this moment, Jiang Liqian also shared the information she had obtained.

"According to the information I’ve gathered, the Dragon Spirit Sect ruins are divided into inner and outer parts. We are currently at the outer perimeter of the ruins."

Jiang Liqian took out a map and, pointing to the three words "Peach Demon Valley" marked on the map, explained:

"The outer area of the Dragon Spirit Sect ruins consists of four zones: Peach Demon Valley, Broken Stone Lake, Dragon’s Teeth Cliff Dao, and Chaotic Heart Palace."

"We are currently in Peach Demon Valley, and after passing through the first three zones, we can reach Chaotic Heart Palace."

"Only by passing through Chaotic Heart Palace can we reach the core depths of the Dragon Spirit Sect ruins."

Jiang Liqian put away the map and then took out a compass, quickly determining the direction.

"There are many Peach Blossom Demon Trees in this Peach Demon Valley. Though they are not extremely threatening... they are rather troublesome."

Saying this, Jiang Liqian handed over several bottles of pills.

"These are specially made Antitoxic Pills that can prevent the pollen of the Peach Blossom Demon Trees."

"If the pollen sticks to you, it becomes intensely itchy, and even mid-Golden Core Cultivators can hardly resist it. Remember... to take one pill every quarter of an hour, or else it’s uncomfortable to have pollen on you..."

Lin Chen nodded slightly after hearing this, took a few sniffs of the pills, and then consumed one.

Li Zhenqian and Zhou Tieshan also followed suit and took theirs.

Zhou Tieshan looked at Jiang Liqian with a face full of admiration, "Senior Sister Jiang, you really know a lot."

Jiang Liqian smiled and said, "In order to explore a Secret Realm, one must certainly gather sufficient intelligence. Many cultivators overestimate their prowess but still have moments of failure..."

Lin Chen felt approving after hearing her.

Jiang Liqian was the type who would plan before taking action. Following her to explore the ruins meant Lin Chen didn’t have to worry too much.

The group followed behind Jiang Liqian and walked for several miles.

The number of peach trees increased, where initially, you’d see one every dozens of meters.

Eventually, there were peach trees every few steps.

A large peach grove appeared ahead; these peach trees grew extraordinarily tall and dense.

The leaves connected above their heads, almost blotting out the sky.

Lin Chen observed the Peach Blossom Demon Trees along the way and discovered that there were two types of peach trees he saw.

The first type bore only green leaves with no blossoms in sight.

The second type had many flowers and few leaves, releasing pollen that drifted with the wind.

After walking a few more miles, Jiang Liqian took out another pill and said:

"Take the second Antitoxic Pill now."

Zhou Tieshan and Li Zhenqian did as told.

Lin Chen looked at the pink pollen in the air and reached out to touch it slightly.

When Lin Chen retracted his arm, he noticed a small patch of redness on the back of his hand.

It itched slightly.

Lin Chen felt a slight movement in his heart and activated the Evergreen Technique.

The hint of pink quickly disappeared.

Jiang Liqian noticed and showed a look of surprise,

"Senior Brother Lin indeed has profound cultivation. Although this Peach Blossom Demon is only a Second Tier Demon Plant, its pollen is something that even mid-Golden Core Cultivators can’t easily contact..."

"Senior Brother, relying on his deep cultivation, can actually directly drive out the flower toxin."

Lin Chen smiled but did not overestimate his abilities, obediently taking an Antitoxic Pill.

Li Zhenqian, seeing this, developed a competitive spirit and did not immediately take an Antitoxic Pill but touched the pollen in the air instead.

Immediately, Li Zhenqian felt a burst of itchiness on his skin.

There was an urge to scratch desperately. Alarmed, he quickly consumed an Antitoxic Pill, and the itchiness gradually subsided.

Once the toxin was resolved, Li Zhenqian felt uneasy.

The toxins that Lin Chen could easily neutralize almost made him embarrass himself on the spot.

"Ahem."

Li Zhenqian coughed twice to cover his embarrassment and, seeing no one noticed, slightly breathed a sigh of relief.

The four walked several more miles before Jiang Liqian suddenly stopped.

"Please wait, there is quite a bit of Demon Peach Glue here."

Jiang Liqian did not walk along the small path between the peach grove, but instead, she went deep into the peach forest for dozens of steps.

Soon, she stopped under a large peach tree.

She took out a jade dagger and scraped a bit around the root of the Demon Peach Tree.

Soon, a group of transparent, pinkish gel-like substance was scooped out.

Jiang Liqian took out a jade bottle and carefully collected the Demon Peach Glue.

"Demon Peach Glue is an excellent medicinal ingredient, mild in nature and nourishing; it can be used in many Third and even Fourth Tier pills."

"The older it is, the more valuable! Don’t be fooled by this small bottle, it’s worth hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones."

Jiang Liqian explained with a sweet smile.

"Demon Beasts’ cultivation can’t match humans; it’s extremely slow, especially for tree-type demon beasts where growth is even slower."

"Peach Demon Trees over two hundred years old just reach Second Tier and can produce blossoming flowers, releasing pollen for defense, and producing Peach Glue..."

Lin Chen’s heart was moved after hearing this and asked:

"Then, in this Peach Demon Forest, are there any Peach Demons capable of bearing fruit?"

Jiang Liqian nodded and responded:

"Naturally, there are. Only Peach Trees over a thousand years old bear Peach Fruit, which can be consumed to enhance cultivation. It is greatly beneficial to Golden Core Cultivators."

"But this millennium Peach Tree is too rare, there may not be many in this Peach Demon Valley... And even if there were, they might have been harvested by others."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, his Divine Sense rushing out like a tide.

But soon, Lin Chen frowned slightly; it seemed this Peach Demon Valley also restricted the Divine Sense quite a bit.

Lin Chen’s Divine Sense, which surpassed the mid-Nascent Soul stage, was barely limited to less than a hundred meters from his body now.

But soon, Lin Chen found what he was looking for.

"Wait for me a moment..."

Lin Chen took out a jade knife and dashed rapidly through the peach grove.

Moments later, Lin Chen returned, holding several jade bottles, all filled with Peach Glue.

The value of just these bottles of Peach Glue probably amounted to one or two million Spirit Stones.

"Such good luck." Li Zhenqian expressed envy.

This many Spirit Stones would be enough for him to cultivate for several decades.

Jiang Liqian, however, felt a tingle in her heart and praised, "Senior Brother’s Divine Sense truly stands out... to find so much Peach Glue."

"But... the Antitoxic Pills are limited, so we should proceed quickly."

Lin Chen nodded slightly after hearing this, so the four continued walking for quite some time.

Lin Chen only remembered taking a total of five Antitoxic Pills.

Yet the Peach Demon Forest was so vast that the four hadn’t exited it yet.

Suddenly, Lin Chen paused his steps and asked:

"Did you guys hear something?"