In a mountain hollow, Song Changsheng casually snapped a Tier Two Low-Grade Celestial Heart Grass at the stem and put it into his Qiankun Bag, then continued onward.

This was the third day since he had left the Medicinal Garden. The journey had been eerily quiet; he hadn’t so much as seen a rabbit, let alone another person.

He figured there probably weren’t any animals in this Space at all. Otherwise, there was no way these Spirit Medicines could grow so well in the wild.

"Only about ten ancient hours left, and still about three hundred li to go," he murmured softly after silently calculating the time. "Looks like I need to pick up the pace."

Although this world was no different from daytime in the outside world, the sky was a hazy gray. There was no sun, moon, or stars, and no night—only perpetual daylight.

That was why Song Changsheng could only roughly estimate that he had about ten ancient hours left.

At his speed, a distance of three hundred li would take less than one ancient hour. However, harvesting all the Spirit Medicines along the way was taking up a considerable amount of time. Any more delays, and he might not make it for the fight over the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid.

At this thought, Song Changsheng increased his speed considerably, no longer stopping for anything other than Tier Two Spirit Medicines.

Suddenly, Song Changsheng came to an abrupt halt. He sniffed the air lightly a few times and asked in confusion, "What’s that fragrance? Could it be some kind of rare Spirit Medicine?"

His curiosity was immediately piqued. After pinpointing the source of the fragrance, he used a Body Technique to rush over.

After crossing a cluster of boulders, the fragrance grew even stronger, making Song Changsheng feel much of his fatigue melt away. This convinced him that a precious Spirit Plant must be up ahead. At this thought, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

After about a quarter of an hour, Song Changsheng finally saw a purplish-pink Spirit Flower on a hillside. It was no more than two feet tall, with a single flower and two leaves on a long, slender stem, swaying gently in the wind.

For some reason, the moment he saw the flower, a deep craving welled up in his mind, like a starving wolf laying eyes on a plump sheep.

’What is this thing, to make me feel this way?’ Song Changsheng’s brow furrowed deeply. He had never heard of such a strange Spirit Flower.

He spread out his Divine Sense and, after confirming there was no danger, slowly approached the Spirit Flower. Though his eyes were fixed on the flower, his hands were constantly forming a Magic Technique, ready to counter any sudden changes.

But his vigilance seemed excessive. He was already within ten feet of the Spirit Flower and still hadn’t found anything amiss.

"Looks like I was being paranoid." Song Changsheng relaxed slightly. He was habitually cautious around unknown things—after all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

He reached out and pulled the Spirit Flower up by its roots. Just then, Song Changsheng noticed something was wrong. ’The soil is too loose!’

He immediately tried to retreat, but in the next instant, disaster struck. A pitch-black bead shot out from nowhere and exploded above his head, forming a cloud of foul-smelling black smoke.

Song Changsheng’s expression changed drastically. He quickly cast a Spirit Shield Technique to block the smoke, then took out his Treasure Gourd and aimed it at the black cloud, sucking all of it inside.

"What cowardly rat was that?" Song Changsheng roared.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

From a distant thicket, three figures enveloped in powerful Spiritual Power charged toward Song Changsheng, intent on killing him.

Song Changsheng’s expression hardened as he quickly recognized the attackers. They were all from the Earth Fire Sect, and Chang Tianhua was right there with them.

The three of them surrounded Song Changsheng in a triangular formation but didn’t immediately attack.

"You damn brat, this Young Master has finally caught you." Chang Tianhua sneered, a folding fan in his hand, his eyes glinting with hatred as he looked at Song Changsheng.

"How long have you been following me?" Although he was surrounded, Song Changsheng didn’t panic, asking with a frown.

"Heh heh. For you, this Young Master didn’t even go to the sect’s Medicinal Garden. We’ve been following you ever since you left it," Chang Tianhua said, quite pleased with himself.

Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He had originally thought Chang Tianhua would make a move on him during the fight for the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid, since that would be the most chaotic moment.

He hadn’t expected the man to completely ignore the sect’s mission just to tail him all this way.

Glancing around, Song Changsheng let out a soft sound of surprise. He looked at a thin, middle-aged man and said, "Aren’t you Zhang Zhiyuan? To think that even the First Disciple of the Earth Fire Sect has been mobilized just to kill me. Have you all given up on the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid?"

There weren’t many people from the Earth Fire Sect that Song Changsheng would remember, but Zhang Zhiyuan was one of them. He was also one of the top contenders for the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid this time.

Wasting time here with him at this point was no different from giving up on it entirely.

Zhang Zhiyuan’s expression was grim. He bit his lip and remained silent.

Song Changsheng had a flash of understanding. ’Looks like he wasn’t here willingly.’

He then turned his gaze to the last person. This man was completely shrouded in a black robe, his face hidden. The aura he exuded was much stronger than that of a spoiled heir like Chang Tianhua. ’Clearly not a pushover,’ Song Changsheng thought.

"Damn it, you still have the nerve to worry about that now? Attack!" Chang Tianhua roared. The Magic the three had been preparing for a while instantly descended upon Song Changsheng.

"Defense!"

Song Changsheng instantly summoned his Water Element Shield to block in front of him, then quickly began forming a Magic Technique.

"Water Dragon Roar!"

A lifelike Flood Dragon materialized behind Song Changsheng and let out a heaven-shaking roar. The terrifying sonic wave caused the attackers’ Spiritual Qi to stagnate for a moment.

"Celestial Yang Finger!"

Seizing this rare opportunity, Song Changsheng formed a sword-finger that glowed with wisps of red light and thrust it straight toward Chang Tianhua’s head.

Chang Tianhua was still stunned by the sonic wave, his mind hazy. There was no way he could dodge this finger strike.

At the critical moment, Zhang Zhiyuan moved in a flash to block for him, fiercely throwing a punch.

The sword-finger and fist collided with a thunderous BOOM. Song Changsheng took one step back, while Zhang Zhiyuan retreated three full steps before regaining his footing.

Zhang Zhiyuan stared at the finger-shaped indentation on his fist, a trace of shock deep in his eyes. ’I’m a Dual Cultivator of Body and Dharma! My physical body is as tough as a Magical Artifact and possesses immense strength, yet I lost out to Song Changsheng?’

CLANG!

A flash of white light shot from the black-robed man’s waist. Song Changsheng flicked a finger, sending his Treasure Gourd to intercept it. Sparks flew as a Tiger-Head Saber was knocked backward.

"Earth Fire Burning Heart!"

A flicker of fire flashed in Chang Tianhua’s eyes as a ball of black flame shot from his mouth, leaving a trail of scorched earth in its wake.

Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. ’The Direct Inheritance Secret Technique of the Earth Fire Sect? It seems Chang Tianhua isn’t as useless as I thought.’

"Your Earth Fire Sect excels at using fire, but I excel at controlling it. Today, we’ll see who is stronger!" Song Changsheng laughed heartily and pointed a finger casually.

The pitch-black Earth Fire actually reversed course and rolled back toward its source. A look of terror flashed in Chang Tianhua’s eyes as he was forced into a hasty retreat.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself!"

Although Zhang Zhiyuan was annoyed with Chang Tianhua, he couldn’t just watch him die. He summoned a great axe and brought it down in a vertical chop, its power immense.

The black-robed man summoned his great saber once again. The two of them flanked Song Changsheng, cutting off all his escape routes.

Song Changsheng’s eyes narrowed. He activated the Array within his body, and his Yin and Yang Qi instantly formed a Black and White Tai Chi Diagram in front of him. The saber and axe struck it but couldn’t advance an inch.

"What Magic is this?" Zhang Zhiyuan exclaimed in shock.

"A personal Secret Technique, not for outsiders to know," Song Changsheng said. He pointed, and waves of water surged up before him, forming two lifelike Flood Dragons that charged at his opponents from the left and right.

The black-robed man and Zhang Zhiyuan struggled to defend themselves, steadily forced back by the Flood Dragons’ assault. Just as Song Changsheng was about to finish them with a final blow, a sharp pain shot through his Dantian and Meridians, and his Spiritual Power faltered.

Seizing the opportunity, the two of them shattered the Flood Dragons and simultaneously struck out with their palms.

As if struck by lightning, Song Changsheng was sent flying backward, slamming heavily onto the ground.

"What’s going on?" Song Changsheng was both shocked and enraged. He could feel a strange power circulating through his Meridians, one that had completely locked down his Spiritual Power.

"HAHAHA! You bastard, you didn’t see that coming, did you? Are you satisfied with the gift this Young Master prepared for you?" Chang Tianhua jeered, popping out from who knows where.

"When did you poison me?" Song Changsheng asked in a low voice, secretly trying to force the toxin from his body.

"Poison? Tsk tsk tsk. You think this Young Master would use such a low-class method? Song Changsheng, you really underestimate me."

’Not poison?’ Song Changsheng was wondering the same thing. ’If it were poison, I definitely would have noticed something.’

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. "It was that Spirit Flower?"

"Oh? Finally figured it out? To lure you into my trap, this Young Master even took out a precious Fragrance Flower. You should be proud," Chang Tianhua said haughtily.

Song Changsheng understood everything now. His opponent hadn’t poisoned him at all. Instead, they had used an unconventional method to put him at this disadvantage.

The Fragrance Flower is a wondrous flower that can prevent a Cultivator from losing control of their cultivation and becoming a Fallen into Demon. One only needs to inhale its fragrance for a prolonged period. When one’s Spiritual Power rampages as they are becoming a Fallen into Demon, the inhaled scent transforms into a miraculous force that locks down the Spiritual Power, halting its rampage.

Generally speaking, it wasn’t actually dangerous—in fact, it was even beneficial. That was why Song Changsheng hadn’t sensed any threat from it.

Normally, this would have been fine. The problem, however, was the battle. He had consumed his Spiritual Power too quickly, and the inhaled fragrance had immediately locked it down.

This truly wasn’t a plan an ordinary person could have devised. Even Song Changsheng had to admit that the trap was exceptionally clever.

"You definitely didn’t come up with this yourself, did you? You don’t have the brains for it," Song Changsheng scoffed.

"You bastard! I’ll kill you!" Chang Tianhua flew into a rage, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"This Young Master will make you wish you were dead."

He formed a Magic Technique with his hands and once again spat out a ball of pitch-black flame that flew toward Song Changsheng...