Chapter 378 358: Picking the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower

In the depths of the Little World, Heaven and Earth Essence Qi suffused the air like a dense fog. Under this rich Essence Qi, the vegetation grew exceptionally lush. Powerful Fierce Beasts roamed amongst the plants, letting out thunderous roars from time to time.

Inside a hidden cave, a young man in a long robe sat cross-legged as Heaven and Earth Essence Qi surged toward him in a continuous stream. The incoming Essence Qi was like water pouring into a bottomless pit, absorbed into his meridians without a single trace left behind.

After a long while, the young man's eyes snapped open, his gaze as sharp as Sword Qi piercing the air.

"Hahahahaha! To think the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in this Little World is so abundant, and the Celestial and Earthly Treasures so plentiful! It was truly a wise choice to come here for my Cultivation! Zhaang Ye, just you wait to die!" Gu Yunsong muttered, a grim killing intent flashing in his eyes. The surrounding air instantly turned cold.

After speaking, Gu Yunsong slowly extended his hand. A visible ball of True Qi gradually appeared in his palm. This ball of True Qi was two-toned: a faint cyan and a faint white. The two colors of True Qi swirled slowly, and a terrifying aura filled the entire cave.

Gu Yunsong stared at the ball of True Qi, a hint of joy on his face as he murmured to himself, "In this ball of True Qi, forty percent is Innate True Qi, and sixty percent is Postnatal True Qi. If my Innate True Qi can reach fifty percent of the total, I'll be able to enter the Half-step True Dao realm. Killing Zhaang Ye then will be as easy as flipping my hand!"

When a Martial Artist cultivates to the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, they can slowly begin to convert the Postnatal True Qi in their body into Innate True Qi. The more abundant their Innate True Qi, the higher their Cultivation. When Innate True Qi makes up half of their total True Qi, they reach the Half-step True Dao. And once all their Postnatal True Qi has been converted to Innate True Qi, they can step into the True Dao realm.

It takes countless refinements to cultivate even a single strand of Innate True Qi. For Gu Yunsong to have cultivated forty percent in just a few decades was an extraordinary achievement.

With forty percent Innate True Qi, he was only a hair's breadth away from the Half-step True Dao!

Gu Yunsong stretched his body slightly, then extended his palm. Several stalks of Medicinal Herbs appeared out of thin air. The herbs were either light purple or emerald green, wreathed in a rich Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. A single glance was enough to tell they were no ordinary items.

"A 300-year-old Blood Jade Grass, a 400-year-old Agarwood Flower, a 500-year-old Purple Aconite Fruit, and a 1000-year-old Oolong Fruit! Heh, with the help of these Celestial and Earthly Treasures, I will definitely be able to reach the Half-step True Dao!" Gu Yunsong murmured. He picked up the 400-year-old Agarwood Flower, popped it into his mouth, and resumed his Cultivation.

...

Atop a thousand-zhang cliff, Zhaang Ye lay hidden behind a rock, his body blended in with the stone as he quietly observed several snow-white flowers three hundred zhang away.

The flowers were as large as a bowl, pure white, and emitted waves of rich fragrance. They were none other than the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower, a primary ingredient for refining the Innate Golden Pill. Above these flowers hung a hive the size of a house, swarming with countless Death Bees. Tens of thousands of Death Bees vibrated their wings, creating a sound like muffled thunder. Even with his formidable strength, Zhaang Ye felt his scalp tingle.

Before Zhaang Ye had entered the Little World, several Hall Masters had requested that he gather a batch of Medicinal Herbs. With the help of the Purple-haired Wild Boar and the Sharp-headed Mongoose, Zhaang Ye had already collected most of them. Only the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower and the Long Li Sky-Catching Grass remained.

Although the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower was right before his eyes, plucking it under the watch of tens of thousands of Death Bees was no easy task. The Death Bees loved the flower's fragrance. If Zhaang Ye were to casually stroll over and pick it, he would be swarmed by them and die without a proper burial.

Zhaang Ye shifted his gaze from the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower and sighed in frustration. 'I can't believe these Death Bees are so fond of the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower. This is going to be troublesome. Their stings are highly venomous, and they're incredibly fast. Snatching the flowers from right under their nest is practically a suicide mission...'

After a moment of contemplation, Zhaang Ye finally came up with a plan. He found a medium-sized rock, took out the Mysterious Blade Tip, and slowly hollowed out a Small Space inside it.

After examining the Small Space, Zhaang Ye shrank his body and hid inside the rock. Using the stone as cover, he slowly made his way toward the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower.

Zhaang Ye used the rock to hide his form and then employed the "Specialized Qi to Softness" Concealing Breath Technique to merge as one with the stone. Because of this, the countless Death Bees failed to notice him.

Hiding inside the rock, Zhaang Ye moved inch by inch, his speed even slower than a snail's.

Three hundred zhang.

Two hundred zhang.

One hundred zhang.

Eighty zhang.

"BUZZZZZZ—"

When Zhaang Ye's rock entered the fifty-zhang range, a few Death Bees seemed to sense something amiss. They buzzed over and circled the rock. Fortunately, Zhaang Ye's Concealing Breath Technique was exceptionally profound. Although these sensitive bees felt that something was wrong, they couldn't discover him. After checking one more time, they finally flew away slowly.

Feeling the Death Bees fly away, Zhaang Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief and waited for night to fall.

The Death Bees had incredibly sharp vision, capable of locking onto objects over a hundred li away. Their sense of smell was even more potent. If Zhaang Ye moved any closer, he would likely be discovered by some of the exceptionally powerful bees. Therefore, he could only wait for nightfall and then use a few tricks to snatch the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower.

The sky gradually darkened, and the Death Bees began to enter the hive to rest. However, several thousand still remained on patrol. Among them was a Death Bee as large as a fist—clearly the queen of the hive.

Zhaang Ye waited in silence. Once he felt the sky had completely darkened, he gently flicked his palm, sending wisps of Ancient Dragon Power flying into the air, where they began to swirl.

Ancient Dragon Power had all sorts of wondrous uses, one of which was to summon clouds and create rain. As Zhaang Ye's Ancient Dragon Power rose into the sky, it immediately gathered the Water Qi from ten li around. The Water Qi above the hive grew denser and denser, forming a dark, oppressive cloud from which raindrops began to pour down.

"SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!"

The raindrops poured down, quickly soaking the wings of the Death Bees. Left with no choice, the patrolling bees had to fly back quickly to take shelter from the rain.

Zhaang Ye silently stared at the clouds in the sky, thinking, 'This rain will not only mask my scent but also lower the Death Bees' guard. Now is the perfect time to pick the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower!'

With this in mind, Zhaang Ye slowly moved toward the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower. When he was thirty zhang away, he suddenly shattered the rock with one hand and flicked his five fingers. With that flick, five fist-sized Tornados shot out. With just a gentle swirl, the five Celestial Fragrance Jade Flowers were instantly snapped off and flew into Zhaang Ye's hand!

"BOOM!" Zhaang Ye stored the five flowers in his Small Space, and then with a jolt of his arms, the rock shattered into countless fragments that flew outwards. At the very moment the rock broke apart, Zhaang Ye executed a Body Technique, transforming into a streak of green light and speeding into the distance!

"BUZZZZZZZZZ—"

The Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower constantly emitted a fragrance. When Zhaang Ye picked them, the scent vanished instantly, which immediately drew the attention of the Death Bees. The fist-sized, jet-black queen bee vibrated its wings and let out a piercing shriek. At its cry, tens of thousands of Death Bees surged into the sky, forming a dark, oppressive cloud that shot straight after Zhaang Ye!

Before making his move, Zhaang Ye had already calculated his escape route. He executed his Body Technique at full speed, flying toward a lake a thousand li away. As long as he could reach it, he would be safe.

BOOM! RUMBLE—

Zhaang Ye's body broke through the air, creating a massive rumbling sound. Within a few breaths, he had already flown two or three hundred li. Although the Death Bees were fast, Zhaang Ye had a head start, and they couldn't catch up at all.

Just as Zhaang Ye was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly sensed a disturbance in the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi behind him. He glanced back and saw the fist-sized, jet-black queen bee flapping its wings in pursuit. The queen had a glistening blue stinger that radiated a chilling aura, making Zhaang Ye's scalp tingle once again.

'Heavens, I never expected the queen bee to be so fast! At this rate, it'll catch up to me before I even reach the lake. That thing looks absolutely vicious; getting stung by it would be a disaster.' Zhaang Ye estimated the bee's speed and was shocked. The flight speed of this Death Bee queen far exceeded his expectations!

In his panic, Zhaang Ye roared, "Purple-haired Wild Boar, get out here!"

"SWOOSH!" Following Zhaang Ye's roar, a streak of purple light shot over from the distance, arriving in front of him in an instant and transforming into the Purple-haired Wild Boar.

Although the Purple-haired Wild Boar's body was impervious to weapons, it couldn't help but be startled by the menacing queen bee. It quickly grabbed Zhaang Ye and fled like the wind.

The Purple-haired Wild Boar's speed was comparable to the queen bee's. With its help, Zhaang Ye quickly reached the lake. Man and beast then dove straight to the bottom.

"BUZZZZZZ!"

Seeing Zhaang Ye and the Purple-haired Wild Boar dive to the bottom of the lake, the queen bee shrieked in fury. By this time, the ordinary Death Bees had also arrived. Tens of thousands of them circled above the lake, their buzzing like muffled thunder, scaring the fish and Fierce Beasts in the water into hiding at the bottom, not daring to show their heads.

The Death Bees circled over the lake for a full day before finally leaving in frustration. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)