Chapter 174: Chapter 172: Yin Soul Flower, Yin Nether Serpent

The sky was vast and clear, the breeze was warm and gentle, the Spiritual Qi was intoxicating, and waterfalls like silver silk cascaded down the mountainsides...

This was the scene that unfolded before all the Trainees when the Anomaly vanished and the poisonous mist completely dispersed.

The Poisonous Mist Peak Forest was completely transformed, becoming a place of breathtaking, spiritual beauty, like an Immortal Realm that intoxicated the senses and filled the heart with joy!

But no one knew how this had happened.

Only Jiang Jichen. In his hand, he held a bead of lush, vibrant green. It shimmered with a verdant halo, looking quite beautiful.

But if they knew this was a fragment of the Poison-Devouring Pearl, and that even a wisp of the toxic vapor it could release would be fatal to a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, they wouldn’t be thinking such thoughts.

’With my current Cultivation Realm, I can’t even begin to unleash the Poison-Devouring Pearl’s true power. But, just like with the One Corner of the Sky Killing Array, even a fraction of its strength will be absolutely terrifying!’

Jiang Jichen murmured to himself.

’With my current strength, I can’t afford to reveal a treasure like this. It’s just like the Soul-Devouring Pearl Fragment—if word gets out, I’ll be courting death!’

Jiang Jichen thought to himself.

He knew the old saying all too well: the man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a criminal.

"Time to leave. Guo Qishan, Zhongg Li, and you, Independent Cultivator Captain... Heh. Don’t even dream of leaving this Training Ground alive."

Jiang Jichen murmured softly, then his figure flickered, and he rushed out of the Earth Palace...

Meanwhile, Blood Hand and the others had been waiting outside for a long time. An entire day and night had passed since the Anomaly first appeared until it vanished.

This was the deepest part of the peak forest, a place that hid more and even older Ancient Supreme Treasure Medicines. For this reason, they didn’t continue to wait, leaving one after another to begin their own searches.

After all, with the poisonous mist gone, finding Ancient Supreme Treasure Medicines would be much easier. No one was willing to miss such an opportunity.

Blood Hand’s Treasure Medicine Map also marked several locations for Ancient Treasure Medicine, and he was afraid that if he delayed, someone else would get to them first. He had to leave.

With Guo Qishan and his group eyeing them like tigers stalking prey, Yee Youmeng and Luoo Long had no choice but to leave with Blood Hand.

Eventually, everyone had swiftly departed, heading toward the deepest part of the peak forest.

With no poisonous mist, toxic plants, venomous snakes, or other dangers to worry about, everyone cast aside their inhibitions and set out to find the Treasure Medicines scattered throughout the forest.

When Jiang Jichen emerged from the valley, its entrance was completely deserted.

He gazed up at the now bright and beautiful sky, then out at the vast, open land in the depths of the peak forest.

Massive stone peaks stood in isolation, separated by immense distances. Between these giants were lakes, rivers, marshes, and forests...

Jiang Jichen took out the Treasure Medicine Map and followed the colored markings.

According to Wei Xiaohao, the colored marking indicated a Dao Spirit Flower. It was a precious Treasure Medicine for Foundation Establishment, so of course Jiang Jichen had to try his luck.

Thinking of Wei Xiaohao, a cold sneer touched Jiang Jichen’s lips. The man had clearly hidden something from him.

Following the map’s directions, Jiang Jichen crossed a lake and then a river, arriving half a day later at a vast marshland.

Tall grasses grew in thickets, and patches of reeds stretched into the distance. The scenery was beautiful, but Jiang Jichen could faintly sense a hint of danger.

’Hm? The scent of a Yin Soul Flower!’

But it wasn’t just danger he sensed; it was also the unmistakable scent of a Yin Soul Flower.

Ever since refining the Yin Yang Spirit Pool, he had become exceptionally sensitive to plants that emitted Yin-Yang Power.

The Yin Soul Flower grew in the dark, damp corners of marshes, condensing all the Yin Spirit Power from the heavens and earth around it.

Generally, a marsh stretching for a thousand miles might only nurture a single Yin Soul Flower. The higher its Grade, the more eons it required to mature.

To commune with the Profound Nether, recall a soul to its vessel, and even bring the dead back to life—these were the primary effects of the Yin Soul Flower. Truly heaven-defying!

Moreover, the Yin Soul Flower could enhance one’s Soul Power and had an even more astonishing effect on those who cultivated Cold Techniques.

Even Jiang Jichen’s heart stirred at the prospect of finding a Yin Soul Flower. He followed its scent, advancing with caution.

Jiang Jichen activated Shadow Step, his form becoming like a drifting phantom as he moved silently through the marsh.

Soon, the scent of the Yin Soul Flower grew stronger. After traveling another five hundred miles, Jiang Jichen reached the heart of the marshland.

There, in the heart of the marsh, was a clearing. The ground was carpeted with bleached bones—some human, some from Spirit Beasts...

It was a veritable field of bones. Yet, in the very center of the macabre circle lay a small Purifying Spirit Land.

A frigid yin aura coiled within the Purifying Spirit Land, where a single, white, lotus-like plant bobbed endlessly in the surging Yin Spirit Qi.

It had no leaves, only a single stalk rooted in the void itself, absorbing Yin Spirit Power to sustain its growth.

Countless wraiths circled endlessly around the flower, and from them came a faint, ghostly sound.

It was a sound of laughter and tears, of delirium and madness, of whispers and wails...

That was the Yin Soul Flower!

Rooted in a void of nether spirits, its bloom encircled by the souls of the dead!

The Yin Soul Flower was in full bloom, mature and ready for harvest.

But the carpet of bones was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. A powerful Spirit Beast was surely guarding it from the shadows.

This must be the source of the danger he’d been sensing.

And yet, even with his exceptionally powerful soul, Jiang Jichen couldn’t detect the guardian Spirit Beast’s presence. There was only that faint, lingering sense of danger that kept him from acting rashly.

’The guardian Spirit Beast of the Yin Soul Flower... where could it be?’

Jiang Jichen pondered as he stared at the field of bones.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, his heart filled with sheer horror.

’Yin Soul Flower... Yin Nether Serpent!’

In that instant, realization struck Jiang Jichen. He remembered the legends: the guardian of the Yin Soul Flower was the Yin Nether Serpent. It was said to be a terrifying Giant Serpent from the Earth Nether Prison that fed on the Divine Souls of its victims—a truly insidious Spirit Beast.

A Giant Serpent like that, one with a body as large as a mountain, should be impossible to miss if it were guarding the Yin Soul Flower.

There was only one explanation: it was right beneath his feet!

In other words, Jiang Jichen was standing on the Yin Nether Serpent right now.

And now, as he looked closely, he finally saw it.

Its scales were the same color as the dark swamp soil. Its body was coiled in a massive circle around the Purifying Spirit Land, and it was normally in a state of deep slumber.

The moment any living creature approached the Yin Soul Flower, it would instantly awaken, reveal itself, and devour its victim’s soul.

No wonder Jiang Jichen couldn’t sense its presence!

While slumbering, the Yin Nether Serpent emitted no aura whatsoever. It was completely dormant, no different from a Netherworld Soul or a corpse.

At this very moment, Jiang Jichen completely suppressed his own aura, not daring to make the slightest move.

However, just then, a dozen or so powerful auras shot toward them from the distance.

Someone was coming. If they woke the Yin Nether Serpent, Jiang Jichen would die without a grave, his body just another set of bones to be added to the pile!