Having ventured deep into the Black Nightmare Mountain Range,
The Black Nightmare Mountain Range had been sealed for several hundred years, and its vegetation had grown extraordinarily lush. In the dense forests, there were often spots where you couldn't even find room to plant your feet. The trees were massive—several people linking arms couldn't wrap around a single trunk.
The spiritual energy in the Black Nightmare Mountain Range was plentiful, yet suffused with a gloomy, oppressive aura. At a glance, the place was clearly ideal for all manner of spiritual flora to thrive.
Jiang Chen's journey had yielded no small harvest. Many grasses that appeared utterly unremarkable actually contained all sorts of lesser-known properties. They weren't the sort of extraordinary Spiritual Medicines that would make anyone gasp, but each had its own unique application—and as supplementary ingredients, they were exceedingly rare.
"The variety of Spiritual Medicines in the Black Nightmare Mountain Range is astonishing," Jiang Chen marveled. "Many herbs you'd never see in human territories are growing here in abundance. And the quality is uniformly excellent. This land is truly fertile. With no one harvesting for hundreds of years, the plants have had every advantage to flourish."
For Jiang Chen, the Black Nightmare Mountain Range had essentially become a legendary sanctuary of Spiritual Medicines.
To others, this range was riddled with danger—a living nightmare. But for Jiang Chen, amid every peril, he saw opportunity at every turn.
This was precisely where his advantage in Spiritual Medicine came into play.
Many plants in the Black Nightmare Mountain Range possessed medicinal properties, but they were also inherently dangerous. In other words, a great number of the herbs here had a dual nature. They carried toxicity and danger, yet simultaneously served as supreme ingredients for alchemical pills.
For three consecutive days, Jiang Chen did virtually nothing but gather these herbs.
"This Black Nightmare Mountain Range really is a treasure trove of Spiritual Medicines," he reflected. "But many of these herbs, ordinary people wouldn't even recognize."
He had to admit that some of these herbs were extremely difficult to harvest properly. Only someone like himself—someone with intimate knowledge of every herb's properties—would know the optimal method for each extraction.
On the afternoon of the third day, Jiang Chen paused for a brief rest in a relatively secluded area. In the Black Nightmare Mountain Range, even a moment's rest demanded absolute vigilance.
He summoned Little Dragon and
Clearly, this gloomy, somber environment wasn't to the Vermilion Bird's liking.
Jiang Chen didn't bother summoning it.
After resting for roughly two hours, Jiang Chen was restored to his peak condition—full of vigor and energy once more.
He set off again, and after walking for a stretch, the valley grew ever more tranquil and secluded. Jiang Chen twitched his nose, and suddenly caught a fragrance that struck him as remarkably familiar.
This scent lingered in his memory—not from anything he had encountered in this life, but from the recollections of his previous existence.
His mind raced as he tried to place the source of that fragrance.
"Could it be... the Xuanhuang He Shouwu?" Jiang Chen's eyes lit up in an instant. A possibility had crystallized in his mind, and his heart surged with excitement.
The Xuanhuang He Shouwu was absolutely a tier above Heaven-grade Spiritual Medicine. Recognized by the Heavenly Dao itself, it was a true Celestial-grade herb.
The Xuanhuang He Shouwu—according to legend, one of the few Celestial-grade herbs that could genuinely extend one's lifespan.
A single mature Xuanhuang He Shouwu was said to grant an ordinary mortal a lifespan rivaling that of an Emperor-realm cultivator. And if given to an Emperor-realm cultivator? Their lifespan could multiply tenfold.
Though the Xuanhuang He Shouwu was not considered the absolute pinnacle among Celestial-grade herbs, a specimen of exceptional quality was still extraordinarily precious.
Placed in an ordinary plane, it would unquestionably rank among the very finest Spiritual Medicines in existence.
Jiang Chen's nose twitched again. The familiarity carried by that fragrance was growing ever sharper, ever clearer.
"Yes—that's definitely the scent. It has to be the Xuanhuang He Shouwu!" His heart trembled with awe. In that moment, his anticipation for this legendary herb soared to dizzying heights.
The Xuanhuang He Shouwu offered far more than mere lifespan extension. If that were all it could do, it wouldn't deserve the title of Celestial-grade herb.
Its greater contribution lay in bolstering a cultivator's power. When refined into alchemical pills, the resulting elixir could elevate even a Heavenly-realm powerhouse by an entire minor stage—unconditionally.
"I never expected the Black Nightmare Mountain Range to contain something like this," Jiang Chen murmured, clearly surprised. Following the fragrance, he pressed onward.
The scent guided him deeper, and with every step the surroundings grew quieter and more isolated. The path became increasingly treacherous and rugged. By the end, there was scarcely anywhere to set foot, forcing Jiang Chen to weave between cliff faces and sheer rock walls. Fortunately, for a cultivator of his caliber, such climbing was not particularly difficult.
That said, Jiang Chen did not dare let his guard down. According to his memory, every Celestial-grade herb that had ever been documented came with danger. You could never simply walk up and pluck one.
Behind every Celestial-grade herb lurked a hidden peril.
This was the age-old truth: danger and opportunity were inseparable companions.
"The Xuanhuang He Shouwu itself, as I recall, possesses no offensive capability whatsoever," Jiang Chen reasoned. "But wherever the Xuanhuang He Shouwu grows, the Xuanhuang Vine will always be present. And the Xuanhuang Vine's binding power is terrifying. Its tensile strength rivals that of a giant serpent, and its sensitivity is extraordinary—once it detects danger, it will lash out aggressively."
The Xuanhuang Vine was not even the most fearsome threat. Where the vine grew, Xuanhuang Vipers often nested. These serpents carried a poison of devastating potency.