by Feng Yise
Greed was human nature. Plus, they did not have sufficient understanding of this mystic realm's dangers, which was why they made such a low-level mistake!
Over on this side, the Tranquil Cloud Sect people were also shaking in fear after the event when they saw this situation.
If it were not for Ye Yuan just now, they would probably have rushed over thoughtlessly.
This poison was clearly very powerful. Those few were all Crystal Formation Realm martial artist but died in a few breaths of time. Even if Mei Zhen was inflicted, he might not be able to retreat unscathed.
"Ye Yuan, fortunately, there was you just now holding us back. Otherwise, we would likely have fallen victim to it too!" Mo Yuntian said with lingering fear.
Ye Yuan smiled and said, "I saw that nobody from the Heavenly Sky Sect moved and guessed that there was some problem, that's why I made you guys wait and see first. I didn't think that a problem would really occur."
Mo Yuntian silently felt ashamed. As everyone's senior brother but without half of Ye Yuan's focus, it was seriously quite shameful.
Actually, Mo Yuntian was over thinking. Facing such a large stretch of Orchid Heart Flowers Sea, not many could keep their cool. Or else, they would not have dashed forward just now without anyone paying attention to Heavenly Sky Sect's side.
Moreover, the reason why the Heavenly Sky Sect did not move was clearly that they also suffered a loss before.
Even if the Heavenly Sky Sect had many Crystal Formation Realm and Sea Transformation Realm experts, it was impossible for them not to be moved by a scarce medicinal herb like the Orchid Heart Flower.
As for Ye Yuan, he saw that sea of flowers right after entering. Even if he did not see the Heavenly Sky Sect's movements, he would not let his seniors go and pick those flowers either.
Ye Yuan did not even need to move closer to observe, just by sniffing the scent in the air, he already knew that this sea of flowers was simply not Orchid Heart Flowers!
Those flowers in the sea of flowers were the Mantu Flower which was extremely similar to the Orchid Heart Flower!
The Mantu Flower was virtually the same as the Orchid Heart Flower. Furthermore, the fragrance it gave off was practically the same, but Ye Yuan could differentiate the minute differences within.
The flower scent given off by the Mantu Flower had an extremely faint blood stench. It was just that the flower fragrance was enchanting. Ordinary people found it very hard to tell this sort of extremely minute differences.
But in reality, the Mantu Flower used precisely this kind of method to attract humans to harvest it, poisoning them from there!
Once humans succ.u.mbed to the poison and died, they would become the Mantu Flower's fertilizer, nourishing the Mantu Flower!
But most likely nobody here recognized the Mantu Flower. These people died bizarrely too, and no one knew what happened.
Ye Yuan naturally did not wish to be eye-catching, so he did not explain much. He just used the Heavenly Sky Sect as a shield.
Mei Zhen gritted his teeth and said, "Those fellows definitely knew that there was something shady but did not make a sound. They were waiting for people to be poisoned! Earlier, the few great sects practically all had somebody who succ.u.mbed to it. This fulfilled their wishes!"
Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Didn't the Heavenly Sky Sect get the other seven great sects to come for the purpose of finding more cannon fodders?"
The other great sects' elders only came around now. They ran in front of Wu Zhao and admonished, "Elder Wu, why didn't anyone from your Heavenly Sky Sect move? Were you all already aware that these Orchid Heart Flowers have some problem?"
Chapter 299 - Reversing the Roles of Host and Guest!
The sect elders were all burning with righteous indignation. They felt like they had fallen into a pit.
Sustaining heavy casualties before the exploration of the mystic realm even began, the sect elders clearly could not quite accept it.
When Wu Zhao saw several sects lose men, he secretly felt pleased. But he looked aggrieved as he said, "By heaven and hell, this Wu really didn't know that this sea of Orchid Heart Flowers actually had such deadly poison! It's just that my Heavenly Sky Sect has vast territory and abundant resources and we're not lacking this bit of Orchid Heart Flowers, that's why we were thinking of letting everyone go first. Who knew that this would happen?"
"Humph! Stop pretending, Elder Wu! Only your Heavenly Sky Sect has come in here before, how can you possibly be oblivious?" an elder said furiously.
Wu Zhao maintained an aggrieved look and said, "It isn't just my Heavenly Sky Sect's group that didn't move here, the Tranquil Cloud Sect didn't move too. Why does everyone come and interrogate my Heavenly Sky Sect?"
When Wu Zhao said this, the Tranquil Cloud Sect group felt their hearts chill. He was trying to redirect the disaster!
Indeed, those elders immediately turned their gun barrels!
They were all wily foxes and knew that Wu Zhao was deliberately putting on a show here. But the Heavenly Sky Sect was powerful, so they obviously had to find a soft persimmon to knead!
They had to find a channel to vent right? Then wasn't the Tranquil Cloud Sect perfect?
When Wang Fan saw the Tranquil Cloud Sect, he instantly became full of enthusiasm. He went forward and grilled them. "Mei Zhen, are you going to give us an explanation?"
How could Mei Zhen not know what these people were thinking? His face darkened, and he said, "What explanation do you want? I wasn't the one who made you all go harvest the Orchid Heart Flowers either. Now that something happened, can my Tranquil Cloud Sect be blamed for it? The Heavenly Sky Sect is the only sect who came in here before. You don't go find them but come to find trouble with us instead, what's the reasoning?"
Wang Fan sneered coldly and said, "You can't say it that way! The Heavenly Sky Sect has vast territory and abundant resources, your Tranquil Cloud Sect can't also have vast territories and abundant resources too, right? Could it be that you guys aren't lacking Orchid Heart Flowers? But you people didn't make a move. Could there be no reason in between all this? Or perhaps you guys already secretly colluded with the Heavenly Sky Sect?"
When Wang Fan said this, the other sects' elders' faces changed!
The Heavenly Sky Sect was already formidable enough. If they add in a Tranquil Cloud Sect, swallowing up the other sects was something sooner or later!
Although the Tranquil Cloud Sect was very weak, which one of the Eight Great Sects did not have any trumps cards? If they threw their lot in with the Heavenly Sky Sect, then the Southern Domain's terrain would be hard to say!
Mei Zhen panicked when he saw the situation and pointed at Wang Fan, saying, "Wang Fan, don't slander people!"
Wang Fan snorted coldly and said, "Slander people? If it's not like this, you guys should have at least reminded us to not go over, right? Now, only you guys and the Heavenly Sky Sect are perfectly fine, how can this not make people suspicious?"
Mei Zhen was so nervous that his forehead was matted with sweat and he felt like he could not explain this even with a hundred mouths.
The Tranquil Cloud Sect's strength was originally weak. If they faced off with several great sects at the same time, then there was only death!
The Heavenly Sky Sect's strategy to sow discord was executed really viciously!
"Senior Mountain Shaker, why did you come out again? Talking so much crap, isn't it all your baseless speculations? You guys were greedy and suffered a loss when you went to harvest the Orchid Heart Flowers, but turn around now to blame others. Where's the reasoning?" at this time, Ye Yuan came forward to say.
When he said 'Senior Mountain Shaker,' everybody simmered with laughter.
But under such circ.u.mstances, they should not laugh. Each one of them was very uncomfortable holding it back.
Wang Fan was so angry that he was huffing and glaring. He said in a great rage, "Honorable Nephew, looks like your Tranquil Cloud Sect is resolved to break away from us
other six sects!"
Ye Yuan shook his head and said with a sigh, "Senior Mountain Shaker, your Mountain Shaking Divine Skill is already cultivated to the acme of perfection! Since when can Senior Mountain Shaker alone represent the six sects? Forget about six sects, can you represent the High Clarity Sect?"
"You!" Wang Fan could not help choking up.
Did he dare to say represent? He was only some unimportant elder in the High Clarity Sect. How could he represent the High Clarity Sect's opinion?
"What about me? He's sowing discord so obviously, and you can't even see it; are you a pig? Or are you already bought over by the Heavenly Sky Sect to deliberately stir up hostility between us six sects?" Ye Yuan retorted, hitting the mark with each word.
Mo Yuntian's eyes lit up when he heard it. What a marvelous reversing the roles of host and guest!
Just now, Wang Fan said that the Tranquil Cloud Sect and Heavenly Sky Sect were colluding. Now, Ye Yuan countered that Wang Fan was bribed by the Heavenly Sky Sect, reversing the situation in an instant!
Regardless whether the other sects believed Ye Yuan's words or not, they would not take any rash actions.
"You! You're maligning me!" It was Wang Fan's turn to want to cough blood this time.
But Ye Yuan sneered coldly and said, "Senior Mountain Shaker, save it! In this mystic realm, the situation is incredibly delicate. Don't become a tool for others! Properly seeking out natural treasures and leaving alive are the kingly way!"
His words were clearly for Wang Fan to listen, but in reality, it was said for the other elders to hear.
When the sect elders heard Ye Yuan's words, they also calmed down.
Now, inside the mystic realm, the Heavenly Sky Sect's strength was undoubtedly the greatest. But their strength had limits.
It was precisely because of this that everyone lowered their guard.
But in truth, the Heavenly Sky Sect had advantages that other sects did not. If they became cannon fodders, they would lose more than they gain in the end.
Each sect only had ten plus people now. Once they clashed, nobody would gain any advantage. Instead, it would benefit others.
Not only Wang Fan, but the rest of them also could not represent their respective sects too!
The goal of coming to this mystic realm was to bring back more natural treasures.
The most important matter on hand was not to scheme but to preserve their strength to search for natural treasures!
Ye Yuan's words roused them from their sleep. These elders' enmity also became much weaker.
As for what happened here, they would report to the sect's upper echelons after leaving. The higher ups would naturally make a decision.
The Heavenly Sky Sect people had been watching the activities over here the entire time. When Wu Zhao saw that Ye Yuan resolved the crisis with just a few words, his face involuntarily fell.
Although this boy's realm isn't high, his thoughts are very deep. His grasp of the situation is also very on point! Looks like what Zhangyu said was right; this boy really can't be underestimated! En, I'll just find a chance later on and kill him! Wu Zhao thought to himself.
As for those words over there about colluding with the Heavenly Sky Sect, Wu Zhao did not mind in the slightest.
The seven great sect masters were all wise people. As long as the Heavenly Sky Sect existed for a day, they would not be foolish enough to tear at each other. That would only benefit the Heavenly Sky Sect!
"Alright, let's go first." Seeing that there were no opportunities to take advantage of, Wu Zhao brought the Heavenly Sky Sect disciples and left first.
The other elders also came around, and each brought their members to set off.
But after this sea of flowers incident, the elders also had sufficient understanding of this mystic realm's perils. They obviously would not dare to drop their guard again.
Wang Fan shot Ye Yuan a fierce glare again and said, "Brat, you'd best pray that you don't end up in my hands! Humph! Let's go!"
Finished talking, Wang Fan directly led a group of High Clarity Sect disciples and left.
Mei Zhen also let out a long sigh. He said to Ye Yuan, "Oh, Ye Yuan, all thanks to you for getting us out of a fix this time. Otherwise, we would have suffered an undeserved calamity!"
Ye Yuan smiled. Waving his hands, he said, "Nothing much. This is what I should do."
Mei Zhen nodded and said, "Let's go too."
"Wait a minute!" Ye Yuan called out to stop him.
Chapter 300 - Harvesting Flowers
"Is there anything else, Ye Yuan? The other sects are already long gone!" Mei Zhen reminded.
There were about a hundred people from the Eight Great Sects, neither too many nor too few in this mystic realm. Leaving later would mean having the good stuff taken away by others.
Regarding Ye Yuan, Mei Zhen could not very well issue a command directly. He could only adviced in a roundabout manner.
Ye Yuan said, "Rest assured, Elder Mei. Although there is a lot of good stuff in this mystic realm, it probably won't be so easy to obtain. Reaching first doesn't mean definitely obtaining first. Otherwise, the Heavenly Sky Sect would not have spent so much trouble to invite us over. Rather, since the other sects already left now, we can harvest the flowers at ease."
When Ye Yuan said this, everyone jumped in fright.
The toxicity of this sea of flowers was very strong. Everybody witnessed it with their own eyes just now. Now, Ye Yuan actually wanted to go harvest the flowers?
"Stop kidding, Ye Yuan! That sea of flowers probably has thousands of Orchid Heart Flowers. The strength of the poison is something that even Crystal Formation Realms cannot withstand. You also saw those people earlier yet you still want to harvest the flowers. Isn't this complaining that your lifespan is too long?" Mei Zhen said.
That scene earlier was truly too shocking, leaving everyone with a lingering fear in their hearts even up till now.
Towards this sea of flowers, everybody's attitude was in accord; to keep a respectful distance away.
Hence, upon hearing that Ye Yuan wanted to enter the sea of flowers to harvest flowers, Mei Zhen nearly jumped up.
"These flowers are not Orchid Heart Flowers, but Mantu Flowers. This Mantu Flower's outer appearance is extremely alike the Orchid Heart Flower, but it's a highly toxic entity. Furthermore, the sea of Mantu Flowers grows together. This will have a superimposing effect on the poison, practically reaching Quasi-Tier 4 level. That's why those people died upon contact," Ye Yuan explained.
"Mantu Flower? Really never heard of it before! But since the toxicity is so powerful, then even more so you mustn't go over!" Mo Yuntian said.
Ye Yuan chuckled and said, "How can one return empty-handed after entering a treasure mountain?"
"Treasure mountain? What kind of treasure mountain is a bunch of poisonous objects?" Mo Yuntian asked doubtfully.
Ye Yuan shook his head and said, "You're uninformed of this Mantu Flower's origins, that's why you say so. This Mantu Flower is originally a poisonous item. Furthermore, its appearance also greatly differs from the Orchid Heart Flower. We see that the Mantu Flower looks exactly the same as Orchid Heart Flowers because it was formed through grafting."
"Grafting?" Everyone said in surprise.
"That's right. After the Mantu Flower m.a.t.u.r.es, cut off everything above the rhizome completely, then graft the Orchid Heart Flower on it. Then it becomes the current Mantu Flowers. In reality, it should be called Mantu Orchid Heart Flowers," Ye Yuan explained.
"No way, right? Such a precious Tier 2 medicinal herb like the Orchid Heart Flower was actually used in grafting to become Mantu Flower. Isn't it too much of a waste of God's gift? It's really too bad." Tian Yu could not help letting out an emotional sigh.
He grew up by Skymaple's side since young and was much more familiar with all kinds of medicinal herbs compared to other people. The preciousness of Orchid Heart Flowers was such that even the Heavenly Sky Sect would not regard it as u
nimportant, let alone the Tranquil Cloud Sect which was short on resources to begin with.
Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Nothing to be sad about. The reason why this was done is naturally that there is a greater justification."
"What reason? So many Orchid Heart Flowers, if we bring them all back, it's enough to raise the Tranquil Cloud Sect's Spirit Condensation Realm martial artists' strength collectively by a whole stage. But now . . . able to look but unable to eat. Such heartache!" Tian Yu sighed.
"The rank of a medicinal herb is fixed. But under certain special environments, it can advance. No matter how precious the Orchid Heart Flower is, it's also just a Tier 2 medicinal herb. It has profound meaning to Spirit Condensation Realm martial artists, but to Crystal Formation Realm martial artists, it's of somewhat little value."
"Ye Yuan, you mean to say . . . the reason for grafting this Mantu Flower is to let the Orchid Heart Flower evolve?" Mo Yuntian's eyes became wide saucers as he asked in disbelief.
Ye Yuan nodded and said with a smile, "That's right! The Orchid Heart Flower is an extremely pure and nourishing medicinal herb. Even if a Spirit Condensation Realm martial artist swallowed an Orchid Heart Flower raw, it would have huge benefits towards cultivation. But to nurture Tier 3 Orchid Heart Flowers, it has to be in a highly toxic environment instead! After the Mantu Flower is grafted over by the Orchid Heart Flower, it converts the Orchid Heart Flower into an entity with even deadlier poison. But this toxicity can spur the true Orchid Heart Flower's evolution!"
Tian Yu asked in surprise when he heard this, "There's actually such a miraculous technique in this world?"
This grafting technique was not considered miraculous in the Divine Realm. Each major faction would have some of their own unique breeding methods.
But in the Endless World, this was an extremely phenomenal technique.
In Tian Yu's mind, the ranks of medicinal herbs were all fixed. He had never heard of being able to evolve.
Ye Yuan said, "Doesn't count as miraculous. It's just a problem of knowing it or not."