Chapter 1665: A Touch of Insight

As he moved, Qin Sang feigned concentration, meticulously analyzing the protective spirit array. Using the fire jade centipede's sensitivity to the scarlet immortal pendant, he pinpointed Kun Dao's location.

He gradually approached Kun Dao, arriving at the closest possible point. Unfortunately, the spirit array of the medicinal garden blocked his path.

Qin Sang remained impassive. He swept past that spot, searching for weaknesses in the spirit array as usual, without startling his target.

The target was indeed inside the medicinal garden, having stopped somewhere and become unmoving.

But...

According to the fire jade centipede's senses, Kun Dao's position didn't seem to be truly within the medicinal garden; instead, it was above the garden... in the sky!

Qin Sang was astonished, his mind filled with doubts. He subtly glanced skyward, but his view was met with turbulent wind energy, his sight blocked by layers of array restrictions.

He recalled the feeling he had upon first entering: there seemed to be a barrier at the summit of Emperor's Grant Mountain. This barrier was connected to the Five Elements Divine Restriction, sealing off this small section of the world.

At the time, he hadn't specifically tried to verify it, because even if he proved its existence, it wouldn't be very significant. He couldn't break the barrier alone, and a reckless attempt might lead to a backlash, exposing him to unnecessary danger.

Now, thinking back, Qin Sang subtly grasped some key points.

Kun Dao's performance differed greatly between being on the mountain and being within the Five Elements Divine Restriction. Within the Five Elements Divine Restriction, she was traceless, utterly unfathomable, which directly extinguished Qin Sang's idea of pursuing and killing her.

After entering the mountain, she behaved uncharacteristically. Her movements were clearly detected by the fire jade centipede, indicating she must have been restricted unless she was feigning.

But the fire jade centipede had not been exposed, so she had no need to feign.

One might boldly speculate that the barrier integrated the power of the Five Elements Divine Restriction, or that the Five Elements Divine Restriction was its foundation. However, since the entire barrier wasn't composed solely of the Five Elements Divine Restriction, she could only borrow part of its power.

She could hide within the barrier and remain concealed, stirring up trouble from the shadows, but she was no longer as unhindered as a fish in water.

New discoveries, along with various details he had noticed earlier, flowed through his mind. Coupled with his understanding of array restrictions, Qin Sang made what seemed to be the most reasonable guess.

If his guess was true, this matter could be accomplished!

The key lay in strategizing how to trap Kun Dao.

Qin Sang considered his own abilities. His Daoist arts and magical treasures were mostly straightforward, but his avatar's Ice Spirit Divine Light and Grand Sky Unison Capture could both be used, followed by a sword array to finish.

What spiritual medicine would the female cultivator use as bait, and who would be her target?

Just as he was pondering, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. He inwardly cried out, "Not good!" Kun Dao moved like a startled rabbit, her speed exploding to its maximum as she headed straight for the entrance of the medicinal garden.

"She's making a move!"

Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat.

Kun Dao's swift activation of the trap was unexpected; they hadn't even entered the medicinal garden yet, and the 'fish' hadn't all arrived!

Just then, Qin Sang sensed frequent vibrations from the medicinal garden's protective spirit array, causing the wind energy to rage. It turned out that Mo Xingdao and others had begun breaking the array.

At the same time, the peculiar fragrance suddenly intensified.

Without time to think further, Qin Sang hurried towards the entrance.

Unexpectedly, the situation at the medicinal garden's entrance changed much faster than anticipated.

Mo Xingdao arrived, intimidated by the power of the two True Masters. He stood afar; seeing that they remained still, he wouldn't rashly advance, but he also had no intention of retreating.

From his position, he could see the purple glow in True Master Purple Lightning's pupils and noticed True Master Purple Lightning's nostrils subtly twitching, as if sensing the source of the peculiar fragrance.

Mo Xingdao had tried; the fragrance was faint and elusive, and he could only determine it originated from the medicinal garden.

He was curious what methods True Master Purple Lightning would employ, and stood still to observe.

At this moment, True Master Hegao, having failed to find Qin Sang's traces, turned and cupped his hands towards Mo Xingdao, asking, "Daoist Mo, have you and Su Zinan separated?"

During the battle of the teleportation array, Mo Xingdao had helped Zhu Wudao escape, which had caused friction between them. Though True Master Hegao was annoyed, he didn't show it outwardly, and his tone was relatively amiable.

"Daoist Su has other important matters," Mo Xingdao said silently. His replies were always concise and to the point.

True Master Hegao frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist, you don't serve any prominent clan, yet you've achieved such freedom and accomplishments. This Daoist has long admired that. But since you are not a member of the Demonic Sect, why do you repeatedly associate with those demonic cultivators?"

He wanted to take the opportunity to persuade Mo Xingdao.

This person had risen and fallen in the Northern Barren Demonic Lands. While not unstained by the mud, his brutal methods were mostly used against enemies, and he didn't have a truly terrible reputation.

"This Mo..."

Mo Xingdao suddenly stopped speaking.

Noticing the unusual look in Mo Xingdao's eyes, True Master Hegao turned to look and found that his senior brother had already withdrawn his divine abilities, shifting his gaze and no longer focusing on the medicinal garden.

"There are no rare treasures in the garden?"

Seeing that his senior brother seemed uninterested and was about to leave, True Master Hegao quickly sent a voice transmission to inquire.

True Master Purple Lightning nodded slightly and said, "The fragrance is likely a blend of Ten-Thousand-Mile Fragrance, Sweet Dew Bright Epiphyllum... and several other peculiar-smelling spiritual medicines. That's why the scent travels so far."

Hearing True Master Purple Lightning name these spiritual medicines, True Master Hegao immediately recalled their respective effects from memory. Indeed, they were all rare spiritual medicines of extremely high age, and the pills refined from them would possess at least peak-grade medicinal power.

If these spiritual medicines were found outside, they would be highly worth contending for.

But how could they compare to the foremost spiritual treasure of the Central Plains?

Of course, the medicinal garden might still conceal more precious natural treasures, but it was certainly heavily restricted, and searching would be too troublesome. If it delayed the contest for the spiritual treasure, it wouldn't be worth the effort.

He glanced at Mo Xingdao out of the corner of his eye.

True Master Hegao felt somewhat unwilling; such a vast treasury was about to be given away.

Mo Xingdao felt a warning sign and secretly became vigilant.

True Master Purple Lightning, deeply understanding the way of prioritization, didn't spare Mo Xingdao another glance and made to leave.

Just then, likely due to the continuous accumulation of wind energy and its excessively fierce impact, coupled with the spirit array having been unattended for years, the protective spirit array suddenly began to vibrate violently.

True Master Purple Lightning's eyebrow twitched, and he suddenly turned around.

Mo Xingdao and True Master Hegao also felt something and simultaneously looked towards the medicinal garden's entrance.

'Boom!'

The stone house at the medicinal garden's entrance swayed violently, almost collapsing, but the three of them weren't looking at the stone house. Instead, they were looking at the area above the stone wall.

Above the hill, a transparent light barrier appeared out of nowhere. As the light barrier manifested, a green silhouette suddenly emerged, pressing tightly against its surface.

This was a green vine, its root thick like a small tree, requiring no other object to cling to.

The green vine was full of vitality, its leaves verdant and dense. Beneath the layers of leaves, fruits seemed to have already formed, and two clusters of milky-white light seeped out from the gaps in the leaves.

The light was soft, carrying a peculiar allure that made one itch with curiosity, urgently desiring to discover what kind of fruits they were.

The vine leaves pressed tightly against the light barrier, their stalks like the vine's tendrils, as if trying to drill out from the light barrier.

"Eh?"

True Master Purple Lightning was slightly startled. He found the green vine somewhat familiar but couldn't recall it for a moment.

'Sizzle!'

The light membrane suddenly released lightning, striking the green vine fiercely.

The green vine recoiled as if in pain, like a living creature. It suddenly curled up, collapsed to the ground, shrank back, and instantly vanished.

"A spirit medicine that has taken human form?"

True Master Hegao exclaimed, then refuted himself, "No, it's not a spirit medicine that has taken human form. But it has developed sentience and can move freely. There are sealing restrictions within; it wants to break free..."

Mid-sentence, True Master Hegao suddenly realized that both his senior brother's and Mo Xingdao's eyes had changed, especially Mo Xingdao's, who showed clear joy and growing greed.

True Master Hegao was astonished. He immediately recalled the green vine's brief, startled retreat.

The green vine's fruits were perfectly round, like a tender, bright moon. Their spiritual light formed an illusion, as if a celestial osmanthus palace on the moon, with celestial maidens lightly dancing around the immortal fruits...

True Master Hegao's mouth gaped slightly, his voice trembling.

"This is..."

"The Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit!"

True Master Purple Lightning's voice entered his ears.

A flash of insight, aligning with the heavens' will!

Legend had it that this medicine was a rare natural treasure even in ancient times. It was a top-grade immortal medicine used for the Spirit Transformation stage.

Since entering the Formless Immortal Sect, True Master Purple Lightning's expression had changed for the first time. He was only a step away from the Spirit Transformation stage, but this step was like an unbridgeable chasm; he precisely needed some external force to push him forward.

The Sword Tomb was undoubtedly the best choice.

Though the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit was not as good as the Sword Tomb, it was still a rare immortal medicine in this realm, one that even the Eight Sceneries Temple did not possess.

He hadn't expected the Formless Immortal Sect to actually possess such a treasure!

If he obtained the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit, he would have great hope of reaching the Spirit Transformation stage and could return to his original plan. As long as he achieved Spirit Transformation, all problems would be easily resolved; why bother painstakingly contending for the spiritual treasure?

'Boom!'

A muffled explosion resounded in the void.

A purple flash tore through the wind energy, and True Master Purple Lightning instantly appeared at the medicinal garden's entrance.

True Master Hegao and True Master Purple Lightning shared a telepathic understanding, deeply aware of the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit's importance. Their first reaction was to prevent outsiders from interfering. He immediately summoned his Jade Mist Flying Stream, just as he was about to block Mo Xingdao, when he suddenly felt waves of fluctuations emanating from the wind energy behind Mo Xingdao.

Someone else had arrived!

Moreover, Qin Sang, whose whereabouts had been unknown moments ago, was certainly observing from the shadows; seeing them break the spirit array, he would surely be drawn over.

This way, their competitors would be at least three grand cultivators.

Even with True Master Hegao's profound cultivation, he found it very difficult.

The momentary hesitation was enough for Mo Xingdao to react. He opened his mouth and spewed out profound energy, pointing it from afar at True Master Hegao, but not to confront him directly; instead, he charged towards the side of the medicinal garden's entrance.

Due to the impact of the wind energy, the protective spirit array had been shaking continuously.

During their recent standoff, they had all been secretly analyzing the spirit array and had already made their judgments, identifying several of the easiest places to break, not limited to just the medicinal garden's entrance.

In a flash of thought, True Master Hegao decided not to hinder Mo Xingdao. His participation would help break the array faster, and it would be best to capture the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Vine before other opponents arrived, which would be more beneficial to them.

Seeing Mo Xingdao's unperturbed expression, True Master Hegao gave him a deep look, inwardly praising his courage. His figure moved, sweeping to True Master Purple Lightning's side, and the two senior and junior brothers jointly attacked the spirit array.

In an instant, a deafening roar emanated from the medicinal garden's entrance.

A lightning imprint appeared on True Master Purple Lightning's glabella, sending forth rampant purple lightning, continuously striking the illusory mist of the spirit array.

True Master Hegao propelled his Jade Mist Flying Stream to its limit, parallel to the purple lightning, like two great rivers. The abundant true essence contained within indeed surged like a mighty river.

At the same time, his other hand held high the Azure Silk Treasure Umbrella, fending off the backlash from the spirit array's counterattack.

The two True Masters unleashed their divine might, and Mo Xingdao was not to be outdone. The profound energy from his mouth transformed into myriad forms, expanding to the size of a millstone, heavily smashing towards the spirit array. Each strike made the spirit array shake violently.

'Bang!'

The three grand cultivators attacked with full force.

The fierce impact propagated inward, and the stone house collapsed first.

The light barrier at the top of the stone wall also swayed, but it was extremely sturdy. During this time, the green vine had struck it again, but was still repelled by the restrictions on the light barrier.

Its instincts seemed to sense the approaching danger, and it struggled fiercely.

Following this, the three of them used their specialized restriction-breaking treasures. After a fierce tremor, the thin mist at the medicinal garden's entrance was finally blasted open by the two True Masters, creating a gap. The gap lasted only a short time, but it was enough for True Master Purple Lightning.

A brilliant purple glow erupted from his glabella, and the lightning imprint detached, flying into the fissure. At the same time, True Master Hegao threw his Azure Silk Treasure Umbrella inside, and Mo Xingdao also used his profound energy millstone to smash through the clouds.

'Rumble!'

The spirit array's entrance finally succumbed to the strain. The cloud energy collapsed explosively, and astonishing aftershocks swept outwards.

In an instant, two illusory figures appeared at the top of the stone wall, near the light barrier, but the green vine was nowhere to be seen.

Mo Xingdao couldn't avoid the aftershocks of the spirit array, looking somewhat disheveled. He was a step behind; as soon as he rushed into the medicinal garden, he saw True Master Purple Lightning extend his palm, pressing it towards the light barrier with endless purple lightning.

Without a world-shaking burst of thunder, his palm passed directly through the light barrier, shattering it into pieces.

The two True Masters didn't hesitate for a moment. They stepped into the light barrier, seizing the opportunity, and then spread their divine senses, sweeping outwards with the most violent demeanor.

The two cooperated seamlessly, each searching half of the area. The area on the hill was larger than expected, but with the two True Masters working together, it was only a matter of moments.

Mo Xingdao's expression subtly changed. He quickly rushed up the mountain wall; although he deliberately avoided them, he could still feel himself locked onto by the two True Masters, and the pressure on him suddenly increased.

Unexpectedly, just as he ascended the hill, the two True Masters suddenly focused on him, and the fragments of the light barrier swirling before him were covered in a layer of green light.

"The green vine!"

Mo Xingdao's eyes narrowed slightly. Without waiting to see clearly, his palm instinctively pulsed with true essence, and he grabbed forward.

'Swish!'

Mo Xingdao froze on the spot. His grab was empty; the green vine shattered; it was clearly an illusion.

However, the two True Masters' attacks wouldn't stop because of this.

The sound of thunder exploded in his ears, along with the sound of surging waves, undoubtedly from the Jade Mist Flying Stream.

At the same time, a voice rang out from behind him, "Fellow Daoist, are you trying to monopolize the immortal fruit?"

It was the Poison King, who had just arrived and had also seen the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit.

Three sides attacked simultaneously. Powerful true essence roared, deafeningly. Mo Xingdao's figure was engulfed by the true essence. Qin Sang, arriving from afar, also witnessed this scene, but his attention was elsewhere.

At this moment, another figure appeared behind the Poison King; Su Zinan had unexpectedly fallen to the very end.

He had originally entered with Qin Sang and was only slightly behind Qin Sang on the heavenly ladder. But Kun Dao knew he was Mo Xingdao's accomplice, and fearing he would send a warning, she used special methods to specifically target him, causing him to be even slower than the Poison King.

Qin Sang was being hunted by them, so it was impossible for him to warn Mo Xingdao. Therefore, Kun Dao hadn't treated him specially.

In truth, Kun Dao's actions were entirely overthinking; Su Zinan wasn't that benevolent.

Su Zinan swept forward, his eyes narrowing as he saw Mo Xingdao being besieged.

This situation was too familiar!

The three's target was the immortal fruit; as long as Mo Xingdao retreated, it shouldn't be enough to take his life. But what about Kun Dao, hidden in the shadows?

"Daoist Mo, be careful!"

Su Zinan shouted, and his demonic banner openly appeared for the first time. Its two demonic souls didn't help block the disaster; instead, they directly targeted Mo Xingdao.

The opportunity was fleeting; he was like a hunter vying for prey.

'Bang!'

A clang of metal resounded.

Everyone watched in astonishment as the spot where Mo Xingdao stood turned into a black-skinned monster.

Su Zinan's face also darkened. He almost squeezed out four words between his teeth: "Nascent Soul Puppet!"