Chapter 1032: Shennong's Apothecary Garden Sacred Fruit

Void Island, Forest of Miracles.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Thunderous rumbles exploded behind him, one after another. With each colossal roar, the Forest of Miracles trembled as if struck by an earthquake, and vast fissures ripped open in the ground. Above, the all-consuming darkness advanced a significant distance with each tremor.

At this moment, Twin Dumb, a Gold Hunter’s Order assassin from Three Incense, and a representative of the five-person assassin team tasked with hunting Xu Xiaoshou in the Central Region, was fleeing a primeval forest, clutching a head-sized fruit. He was in a state of panic, yet his expression was also one of intense excitement.

“I’m out! Finally out!”“I’m rich! I’m truly rich!”“As expected of the City of Sky, as expected of the Foundation of Sainthood… I’ve only just arrived, and I’ve already received such an opportunity. Could I be the Chosen One?”

Clutching the fruit that pulsed with sacred power, Twin Dumb couldn't help but glance back before accelerating his escape. On Solitary Sound Cliff, he and his assassin team had nervously hidden within the Heavenly Dao, under the watchful eye of Mu Lin from the Sacred Palace. Unexpectedly, Mu Lin didn't act; instead, Ye Xiaotian, with his spatial abilities, dragged them into the Sea of Bitterness. When Solitary Sound Cliff was subsequently submerged by giant waves, Twin Dumb was pulled into the deep sea as well. In the depths, he felt both nervous and excited, understanding that for people like them, danger often signaled opportunity. True to his belief, although thunderous tribulations roared incessantly around him during that period, the water sphere ultimately failed to completely drain his spiritual essence, nor did any external dangers reach him. Twin Dumb, as he wished, was swallowed by a dazzling light and then found himself in this unknown place.

Unlike Xu Xiaoshou and Lei Xier, upon his arrival, he saw a large stone monument before him, and behind it, not ancient city structures, but a forest. Curiously, Twin Dumb brushed away the moss from the monument. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't carve his name onto the massive stone. However, the three characters “Void Island” filled him with extreme exhilaration. This was the Sacred Secret Void Island, the City of Sky!

Leaving the monument behind, he entered the ancient forest. Based on memories and legends, Twin Dumb suspected this ancient forest might be the Forest of Miracles, a treasure trove as renowned as the 'Hall of Sin One' within the City of Sky. As a Gold Hunter’s Order assassin, Twin Dumb primarily obtained intelligence by plundering memories from his hunting targets. Among the assorted memories from targets across the continent's five regions, there was a tiny fragment of knowledge about the 'Forest of Miracles'.

“Shennong’s Medicinal Garden!”Legend had it that Shennong Baicao, one of the Ten Ancient Ancestors and as famous as the Sword God Gu Louying, had once left behind an ancient medicinal garden here. Armed with this ancient legend, which could hardly be considered information or intelligence, Twin Dumb excitedly began his search. After all, he had managed to enter a place as improbable as the City of Sky, so what harm was there in pursuing an equally improbable ancient medicinal garden based on a memory?

After entering the Forest of Miracles, unexpectedly yet logically, without much trouble, Twin Dumb caught a faint scent of herbs. Using his abilities, he followed the scent without wasting time, eventually locating its source: a colossal, seemingly endless super medicinal garden enveloped in endless mist!

“Shennong’s Medicinal Garden!”Twin Dumb’s eyes immediately turned red with avarice. He knew that even if this place wasn't the legendary Shennong’s Medicinal Garden, the City of Sky was from ancient times, and if no one had set foot here for millions of years… then even a mere weed from the garden, in this mythical place like the City of Sky, would have evolved into an immortal sacred medicine, or even a divine medicine!“Foundation… of… Sainthood!” These four words instinctively sprang into Twin Dumb’s mind. He knew his era was about to begin! As long as he entered this garden, becoming a Half-Saint was no longer a dream. He might even be able to lay a profound foundation and contend for the legendary 'Saint Emperor’s Regalia'!

On the Sacred God Continent, the Grand-Void realm seemed to be the pinnacle of spiritual cultivation. Half-Saints occasionally appeared, but apart from Half-Saint aristocratic families and Half-Saint forces, few knew how to truly embark on the path to sainthood. Twin Dumb was different; he had accomplished the feat of hunting a Grand-Void seventeen years ago. Although he remained low-profile afterward, for the sake of cultivation, he successively hunted several Grand-Voids, thereby elevating his spiritual cultivation to the peak of the Grand-Void realm. From the inherited memories of those deceased ancient Grand-Voids, Twin Dumb also learned about the path to sainthood.

Half-Saints truly existed on the Sacred God Continent. However, there were only one hundred and eight 'Half-Saint Regalias'. An ordinary Grand-Void, even at the peak of their cultivation and having touched the Sacred Dao, could not break through to Half-Saint. Unless they obtained a Half-Saint Regalia! One hundred and eight Half-Saint Regalias might not sound like many, and most were indeed held by the Sacred God Palace and various Half-Saint aristocratic families. In reality, there were far fewer than one hundred and eight Half-Saints on the Sacred God Continent, perhaps just over half at most. The path to sainthood was exceedingly difficult! Some ancient aristocratic families, having passed down their legacies to the present, might have once possessed Half-Saint Regalias. But after several generations, if no one in the clan could reach the Half-Saint realm, it would inevitably lead to war, causing the Half-Saint Regalia to change hands or be lost. A transfer of ownership was acceptable, as it meant another force gained the qualification for sainthood. However, in reality, once a war broke out, forces originally possessing Half-Saint Regalias would almost always choose to shatter rather than bend. This led to more and more Half-Saint Regalias being lost in unknown places, becoming Half-Saint ruins.

Achieving Half-Saint was so difficult, requiring one's spiritual cultivation path to reach its peak, and also the acquisition of a Half-Saint Regalia. As for a Saint Emperor, that was even more beyond reach! According to the Grand-Void memories Twin Dumb had hunted and absorbed, Saint Emperors also truly existed on the continent. However, there seemed to be only eighteen Saint Emperor Regalias across the entire continent, and Twin Dumb knew nothing beyond that. But he didn't aspire to be a Saint Emperor. Half-Saint was within reach! This was also why he had been tempted by Xu Xiaoshou’s bounty, as the black-gold reward explicitly promised resources for sainthood, such as a Foundation of Sainthood. He had initially thought that failing to hunt Xu Xiaoshou meant the path to sainthood was closed to him. But who would have thought he would enter Void Island himself, and then arrive at this place suspected to be 'Shennong’s Medicinal Garden'? Twin Dumb couldn't tolerate not seizing this opportunity.

Restrictions and barriers were no issue for him. Although Twin Dumb appeared to possess a Metal elemental affinity, in reality, when his innate attributes awakened, he also manifested a second, special attribute: Dissociation. This Dissociation ability allowed him to break down his body into molecules with no energy signature, enabling him to infiltrate any location undetected. It was through this method that Twin Dumb, by dissociating his body and entering others, achieved the remarkable feat of successfully hunting veteran Grand-Voids as a newly ascended Grand-Void. If he could enter a human body, then the restrictions and barriers of Shennong’s Medicinal Garden might block living beings, but they certainly couldn't stop 'molecules' that resembled inanimate objects! With this method, Twin Dumb successfully infiltrated Shennong’s Medicinal Garden. And then, he was utterly stunned.

“Too many! Far too many!”Throughout Shennong’s Medicinal Garden, spiritual herbs permeated with potent auras were everywhere. A single glance revealed a dazzling, endless array. This wasn’t a dream! Here, even the most basic weeds were of first or second grade, and sacred medicines were countless… it was even more exaggerated than Twin Dumb had imagined before entering! After all, it seemed this idyllic world had genuinely remained untouched by human feet. Medicines withered and were reborn, reborn and withered, cycle after cycle, one giving birth to two, two to three, and three to myriad medicines…“This is a fairyland!” Twin Dumb’s eyes burned with feverish desire, and his rationality instantly vanished. He reached out and plucked one of the few sacred medicines he recognized—a fruit from the Sacred Relic Tree, which was the head-sized Sacred Relic Fruit he now clutched.

This Sacred Relic Fruit possessed incredibly potent effects. It was an extraordinary sacred fruit that, once consumed, could cause any spiritual cultivator below the Half-Saint realm to generate their first trace of sacred power in their Qi Sea! After the unaligned sacred power from the Sacred Relic Fruit was generated, it would continuously digest the fruit’s medicinal properties, undergoing a qualitative transformation over time, gaining the ability to grow and strengthen autonomously. This meant that even if Twin Dumb hadn't yet obtained a 'Half-Saint Regalia', simply by consuming this Sacred Relic Fruit, he could become the premier Grand-Void below the Half-Saint realm! A Grand-Void possessing sacred power! Perhaps he could even defeat the Eighth Sword Immortal! And if he later acquired a 'Half-Saint Regalia', regardless of how long it took, the Sacred Relic Fruit’s sacred power would convert into his own sacred power, allowing Twin Dumb to instantly transcend the initial Half-Saint realm. He might even be able to rival veteran Half-Saints! This was simply an unparalleled treasure: for a Grand-Void, it was like constantly consuming sacred blood with no side effects, and for a Half-Saint, it allowed one to leap over the dragon gate, instantly completing the qualitative transformation from spiritual cultivation to sainthood! Upon seeing this, how could Twin Dumb not go mad?!

He plucked one Sacred Relic Fruit. He hadn't even eaten it yet. Shennong’s Medicinal Garden hummed, and the sky turned dark. An ancient giant, over a hundred feet tall, pushed aside the dusty soil at his feet and stood up. At that moment, with the Sacred Relic Fruit on the Sacred Relic Tree, the fruit, and himself beneath the tree, Twin Dumb was dumbfounded. He recognized it at a glance: this ancient giant, powerful enough to smash a Grand-Void with a single punch, was undoubtedly one of the Void Attendants that guarded the various ruins of Void Island, as remembered from his plundered knowledge!

“But why the hell is the Void Attendant so enormous! Nobody told me a Void Attendant looked like *this*! What the heck kind of ‘Attendant’ is this? It should be called a ‘Void Giant’! Damn it all!!!”Twin Dumb bolted. He didn't even dare to pluck the remaining fruits on the Sacred Relic Tree. Yet, even so, with one Sacred Relic Fruit in his embrace, the Void Attendant’s eyes turned red, fixating on him. One step. Spatial traversal. With a thunderous crash, Twin Dumb, unable to react in time, was crushed to a pulp. Fortunately, he transformed into his molecular form in time, sustaining only severe injuries and not dying instantly. And at the critical moment, he managed to throw the Sacred Relic Fruit away and then catch it, thus not cutting off his path to sainthood.

“Run!”After that, he continued to sprint wildly. The Sacred Relic Fruit contained immense sacred power; as soon as it was placed in his spatial ring, the ring exploded. With his body shattered and so many treasures blown away, Twin Dumb had no time to feel distressed; at this moment, he only wanted to protect the Sacred Relic Fruit, his sole hope. However, Void Island’s peculiar gravity and strange rules made it incredibly difficult for him to resist or escape. Therefore, after enduring more pain and being trampled several more times, Twin Dumb finally unleashed his escape spiritual technique—Nine Chasing Clouds! Nine Chasing Clouds involved his legs dissociating and transforming into cloud-like forms, granting him extremely high speed. To be honest, this Grand-Void spiritual technique wasn't as fast as the grand escape art performed after merging with the Heavenly Dao. But he had no choice! This was the City of Sky. The strange Heavenly Dao rules in the vicinity completely repelled spiritual cultivators from merging with it. Left with no alternative, Twin Dumb could only resort to this escape spiritual technique he had discarded over ten years ago. At this moment, he truly wanted to thank his past self from over a decade ago for investing so much time to find this spiritual technique that perfectly suited his 'Dissociation' attribute. Otherwise, though he had obtained the Sacred Relic Fruit today, on this day next year, someone else might acquire another Sacred Relic Fruit, nurtured by his remains.

“To eat, or not to eat?”Twin Dumb, frantically fleeing the Forest of Miracles with the head-sized Sacred Relic Fruit, now had only this one thought in his mind. Logically, directly consuming the Sacred Relic Fruit would not only waste its energy but also risked his body exploding from the overwhelming sacred power. Under normal circumstances, the Sacred Relic Fruit, supplemented with other ingredients, would surely unleash more than its full power, truly elevating his combat strength to the 'number one Grand-Void' position. But under normal circumstances… there wouldn't be a hundred-foot-tall ancient giant chasing him relentlessly!“I can’t delay any longer. Even with the risk, I must eat this Sacred Relic Fruit. The Void Attendant’s movements are too loud. While I might be alone in the Forest of Miracles, there are definitely other spiritual cultivators elsewhere once I'm out. If they discover I have the Sacred Relic Fruit, they'll surely go mad, those people…” Twin Dumb was on the verge of madness. Being a desperado himself, he knew all too well how covetous other Grand-Voids would become upon seeing the Sacred Relic Fruit. He couldn't say for certain, but even with the Void Attendant present, those people would likely take the risk of being crushed to death and fight desperately to seize it.

“Eat it!”“I have the Dissociation attribute; even if the Sacred Relic Fruit’s energy shatters me, I can survive. And as long as I can digest even a tiny bit of the Sacred Relic Fruit’s power and gain initial control of sacred power, this damned giant…” Twin Dumb turned his head to look at the dark figure in the distance, each step creating a massive crater, his eyes now filled with a deranged, blood-red fury.

“Chomp, chomp, chomp!”In quick succession, the head-sized Sacred Relic Fruit was devoured. Twin Dumb didn't even want to waste a drop of its juice, practically gnawing off his entire palm while licking his fingers. It could grow back anyway…“Ugh!” With that thought, enduring the pain, Twin Dumb finished consuming both his hands.The next second, “Boom!” A soaring column of sacred power erupted from the spot. The immense energy instantly pulverized Twin Dumb’s body. However, within the shattered flesh, a sliver of consciousness suddenly reawakened, frantically devouring the wasted medicinal power of the Sacred Relic Fruit. The herbal fragrance permeated the air. At this moment, the plants, flowers, and stones outside the Forest of Miracles seemed to awaken with sentience, greedily devouring the Sacred Relic Fruit’s medicinal power.“Mine! Mine! All mine!” Blasted into powder, Twin Dumb, not yet re-formed into human shape, went utterly mad at the sight. What kind of inferior creatures were these? How dare they try to claim a share?“All of you, die!” A surge of immense power exploded from his body, turning everything within a ten-mile radius into dust in an instant. But the Sacred Relic Fruit’s medicinal power was still wasted. Twin Dumb dared not waste any more time venting his fury. He desperately continued to devour, trying to consume the entire soaring pillar of Sacred Relic Fruit’s medicinal power. But the reality was, ninety percent of the power was completely wasted!

“Sinner…”Behind him, the ancient giant Void Attendant, still in pursuit, slowed its steps at the sight, clearly startled by the insane spectacle before it. “Is this… humanity?” It murmured, then simply stopped pursuing, crossing its arms and watching with interest as the tiny particles at its feet desperately devoured the pillar of Sacred Relic Fruit’s medicinal power.

Soon, the towering medicinal power subsided, and Twin Dumb reformed back into human shape. Although he had been forced to consume the Sacred Relic Fruit under duress, wasting ninety-nine percent of its medicinal efficacy, yet…“Buzz!” With a flick of his hand, the nascent first trace of sacred power materialized from his Qi Sea. Upon seeing this, Twin Dumb’s eyes welled up with tears.“Hahahaha!”“Hahahaha!”“How many years has it been? I’ve endured for so many years, and finally, I’ve found the path to sainthood, hahahaha!” Twin Dumb laughed hysterically. No one could fathom the blood and sweat he had shed to rise from a commoner to join Three Incense and reach this point—many times more than what the children of prominent families had to endure! And today, he, Twin Dumb, in his Grand-Void body, had mastered sacred power! Moreover, this sacred power would grow autonomously! This was history!“Hahahaha…” Turning around, Twin Dumb looked at the Void Attendant behind him, who seemed to be mockingly staring at him like an ant. He smiled.“An ancient giant? A Void Attendant?” This dark giant before him merely looked tall, strong, and invincible; it didn't possess even a trace of sacred power within its body. How dare it chase him?! Ah! How dare it?!“Void Attendant, is it…” Twin Dumb clenched his fist, feeling his body constantly evolving, on the verge of becoming a Half-Saint’s physique. A sneer twisted his lips, his expression turning ferocious.“Now, it’s my turn to have some fun!”