Everything else had either weathered into dust over time or lost all its spiritual energy and become useless.

That made sense.

Even with restriction seals, after tens of thousands of years, the spiritual energy inside the jade boxes would have long dissipated.

The fact that these five items still retained even a trace of spiritual energy was already remarkable.

If he wanted to know their functions, he would have to take them back and nourish them with spiritual energy until they recovered their original power.

Sigh.

This treasure vault was truly disappointing.

Seeing so many once-precious items reduced to worthless remnants was quite a blow.

Fortunately, there was still the medicinal garden to comfort him.

He had seen it through the surveillance crystals.

It contained all kinds of rare spiritual herbs that no longer existed in the present era.

Xiao Shou clicked his tongue and swallowed his saliva.

With a casual wave, he activated a trace erasing talisman to remove any signs of his entry and exit from the vault, then turned around and headed straight for the medicinal garden.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance and opened the restriction barrier, he suddenly noticed something strange.

In the distance, the tall miniature nine level Fate Turning Pagoda was shaking violently.

The light flickered continuously around it.

Was this caused by that Golden Core cultivator attempting the trial?

It seemed he was stronger than Xiao Shou had expected.

When setting up traps later, he would need to be even more cautious and ensure their power was maximized.

With a slightly heavy mood, Xiao Shou stepped into the medicinal garden.

The moment he entered, the rich fragrance of spiritual plants filled the air, instantly washing away his worries.

His eyes lit up with excitement as he rushed forward, gazing at the countless ancient herbs.

Comparing them with the knowledge he had learned before, he exclaimed in amazement, "Spirit Heart Flower, Golden Thunder Bamboo, Ironwood Tree, Jade Marrow Grass, Heavenly Cloud Silk... all of them are tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand years old. This is incredible."

Thinking of the small medicinal garden he had arranged back at his cave residence using specially fused spiritual soil, he took out jade boxes and a medicinal hoe.

With great care, he dug up the spiritual herbs along with their roots and surrounding soil, placing them into the jade boxes.

He then dripped a few drops of spirit spring milk inside to preserve their vitality and spiritual energy before sealing the boxes and attaching restriction talismans.

One plant after another, he worked diligently, completely absorbed in the task.

He did not notice that while he was busy in the garden, the distant miniature Fate Turning Pagoda, after its violent shaking suddenly split into two halves.

At the very moment it broke apart, a blue figure was ejected from the tower and sent flying into the Fate Bestowing Array to the east, while a white figure was expelled into the Fate Devouring Array to the west.

As the two figures disappeared into their respective arrays...

Zhong Kui who is dressed in a black robe with gold patterns and wearing a black jade crown and Jian Li who are clad in a fiery red robe with a Vermilion Bird crown flew out from the tower at the same time. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

With a flick of their wide sleeves, each of them collected half of the broken tower.

They stared coldly at each other for a few seconds before Jian Li asked in a frosty voice, "Where is she? What did you do with her?"

"You mean my lovely Xiao Ran?" Zhong Kui replied with the same wicked tone as always. "I thought you had taken her away. It’s seems that is not the case. Then it must be this Fate Turning Pagoda playing tricks."

Though his words sounded affectionate, there was not the slightest trace of concern in his expression.

The coldness in his eyes matched that of Jian Li.

In a flash, like lightning striking flint, the two exchanged another icy glance.

After a few seconds, Jian Li withdrew his gaze and released his divine sense to probe the surroundings.

The vast divine sense of a Deity Transformation expert spread outward.

After nearly a hundred thousand years of weakening, the formations here were already on the verge of collapse.

Even restrictions that someone at Xiao Shou’s level could activate with learned hand seals instantly shattered under the pressure.

Only the Fate Bestowing Array in the east and the Fate Devouring Array in the west remained standing, completely unaffected.

Everyone imprisoned in the stone chambers as well as Xiao Shou digging herbs in the medicinal garden were instantly exposed under the overwhelming divine sense.

No matter how fast Xiao Shou worked, he had only managed to dig up a few dozen plants in that short time.

Fortunately, he had only selected the oldest specimen of each type.

Now, facing a sudden change that was completely different from his plan, he raised his head in shock.

Looking at the two figures standing high in the air, their clothing and appearances were extremely familiar.

His expression filled with disbelief.

Black robe with gold patterns, black jade crown, wicked and handsome demeanor.

Fiery red robe, Vermilion Bird crown, righteous and noble presence.

Jian Li and Zhong Kui.

The two male leads.

Why were they here?

And where was Xiao Ran who should have been with them?

Had the storyline changed because of the altered fate of the Water Qilin?

Or was Xiao Ran’s destiny to save Ye Ying something that could not be changed?

In an instant, countless questions surged through Xiao Shou’s mind.

Under the oppressive pressure of Deity Transformation experts, he could not move at all.

He remained crouched where he was, still in the posture of digging herbs and looking upward, frozen in place as fear and confusion churned within him.

What were they planning to do?

Would they kill him?

Where was Xiao Ran?

Fortunately, before coming here, he had taken a high-grade disguise pill as a precaution.