Thinking of this, Xuan Jizi immediately suppressed her excitement and used the Cloud Covering Handkerchief to quietly approach the Ghost Spirit Grass.

She had been a Cultivator for over twenty years, and during these years, she had been tirelessly cultivating.

Searching for Spirit Grass, exploring ancient sites, scavenging relics, and accumulating resources—these are abilities that all Cultivators today must master.

After all, the path to immortality is cut off, Spiritual Qi is scarce, and the growth environment for Spiritual Medicine is increasingly harsh, much more difficult compared to thousands of years ago.

Whenever Wild Spirit Grass is discovered, it inevitably attracts the covetous eyes and contention of countless Cultivators.

Over these twenty-odd years, to compete for Spirit Grass and other Spiritual Objects, she had honed sharp eyes and patience.

Only the Cultivator who can endure to the end can become the ultimate winner!

For example, about six years ago, while traveling the world in search of Spiritual Objects, she discovered a century-old Snow Lotus in Xueyun Country.

To wait for it to mature, she lived and waited in the snow for three years.

During that time, she had relentless battles with the Demon Bird guarding the Snow Lotus, and only then did she successfully claim the Snow Lotus.

But now, facing Ghost Spirit Grass guarded only by Mortals, she was even more cautious.

Using the hidden form ability of the Cloud Covering Handkerchief, she quickly approached the Ghost Spirit Grass, studying it closely.

“Its stalk is like a withered bone, its leaves like a skeleton, emitting Ghost Qi, capable of absorbing the Life Force of any creature within a hundred meters, with Ghost Fire dancing on the leaf tips. It is indeed the Ghost Spirit Grass.”

Under the dim cloud fog, Xuan Jizi murmured, “I didn’t expect to be so lucky, encountering Tier Two Spirit Grass right after returning to the Great Yu Imperial City.”

“Heaven and Earth Spirit Grass, actually guarded by Mortals…how careless of those who discovered it!”

With a reverse grab, a silver-threaded glove appeared in her hand, which she slowly put on.

This glove, made from century-old snow silkworm silk of Xueyun Country, is impervious to water and fire and can isolate foreign Spiritual Qi, an essential item for picking special herbs and grabbing special treasures.

Taking a look around, the Mortal soldiers guarding this place hadn’t noticed her presence, so she didn’t hesitate any longer. Chanting a spell, a wisp of Yin Evil Qi swirled from her palm into a thin blade.

With a thought, the blade formed by the Yin Evil Qi slashed at the root of the Ghost Spirit Grass, cutting it down!

Turning her left hand, a jade box more than half a human length appeared in her hand, and she grabbed the Ghost Spirit Grass, attempting to stuff it into the jade box.

But the Ghost Spirit Grass, like a climbing tiger, was entwined around more than half of the locust tree, tightly wrapped around the branches, making it extremely difficult to pull off.

This locust tree, growing alongside the Ghost Spirit Grass, had its Life Force almost completely absorbed, now just an empty shell.

Unexpectedly, she pulled off a branch of the locust tree.

“Snap!”

With a soft crack, Xuan Jizi’s expression suddenly changed.

“Damn it…!”

“Who’s there!”

Sure enough, a figure in a cyan robe dashed out from the camp not far away.

Upon finding the Ghost Spirit Grass shrouded in a black mist in the distance, his face changed dramatically.

“Enemy attack!”

“Enemy attack!”

In the distance, the entire camp immediately boiled over.

More than ten Embroidered Uniform Guards and Shadow Guards on night duty rushed out from hidden posts, surrounding the area.

The man in the cyan robe rapidly headed towards the Ghost Spirit Grass.

“Eunuch Chen Li?”

The man before her was the Shadow Guard who had been bestowed the name ‘Chen Li’ by Zheng Yi when he broke through to the Grandmaster Realm Martial Artist years ago.

In two years, his Cultivation had progressed to the Innate Realm, entrusted with important tasks by Zheng Yi.

“What happened, where’s the enemy?”

The night-watch Embroidered Uniform Guard followed closely, shouting loudly.

“Ghost Spirit Grass! Somebody’s stealing the Ghost Spirit Grass!”

As soon as the words fell, the black mist surrounding the Ghost Spirit Grass suddenly moved, sweeping away into the distance.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Chen Li shouted angrily. As an Innate Realm Martial Artist, with one step, he turned into a ghostly shadow, rushing in an instant to the withered locust tree.

In the blinking of an eye, he struck at the black mist with a palm.

“Boom!”

As the palm struck the mist, the black mist was immediately scattered by three parts, but Chen Li’s face also changed drastically, instinctively retracting his palm.

An orb of black mist was entwined around his right palm, burrowing into the flesh like a maggot gnawing into the bone.

When he struck the black mist away, Xuan Jizi’s true form, wearing a Profound Robe, was revealed within the black mist.

“Damn!”

Chen Li cursed inwardly, his inner True Qi surged, temporarily suppressing the black mist on his hand.

“Who are you to dare trespass on the forbidden military grounds, stealing Imperial Court’s Spiritual Medicine!”

“Imperial Court’s Spiritual Medicine?”

Xuan Jizi replied coldly, “Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects should belong to Cultivators. You mere Mortals, what right do you have to covet Spiritual Objects?”

“What I just did was a minor punishment. Leave at once, or do not blame me for being impolite!”

“Cultivator?”

Chen Li’s pupils shrank sharply. As a Shadow Guard, he was well aware of what a Cultivator is.

Unexpectedly, the young girl before him, seemingly no older than twenty, was actually a Cultivator?

However, an emperor’s command cannot be defied!

Your Majesty entrusted me with the duty of guarding the Ghost Spirit Grass. I will not abandon it.

“Enough talk! Even if you’re a Cultivator, don’t think you can take the Ghost Spirit Grass from under my watch!”

“Courting death!”

As soon as the words fell, Chen Li advanced, his palms quickly aiming for Xuan Jizi’s face.

“Mere Mortals, if you weren’t an Innate Realm expert, I could destroy you with a flick!”

Xuan Jizi sneered, not dodging Chen Li’s approaching palm, but instead swiftly forming a seal with one hand.

“Bang!”

As expected, Chen Li’s palm was stopped half a meter from Xuan Jizi’s face by a black Protective Magical Shield.

Moreover, Chen Li’s face changed drastically, with blood seeping from his palms, clearly injured.

“Yin Evil Fire, go!”

“Boom!”

As soon as the words fell, a mass of pitch-black flames appeared out of thin air, transforming into a fire snake that fiercely smashed onto Chen Li’s body.

Chen Li’s expression changed drastically, and he tapped his foot on the ground, quickly retreating.

But he had already been struck by the Yin Evil Fire, and was blown several tens of meters away.

In midair, two black iron lumps fell from his body and landed in front of Xuan Jizi.

“Hmm? What are these…?”

Xuan Jizi frowned, filled with doubt as she looked at those two iron lumps.

Before she could react, she saw over ten figures of the Embroidered Uniform Guard already rushing over from not far away.

“Eunuch Chen Li!”

“Villains, don’t run!”

“Fire! Quickly fire!”

She saw those over ten figures of the Embroidered Uniform Guard suddenly stop when they were still tens of meters away, each pulling out a long gun-like weapon and aiming it at her.

“Hmm? What tricks are they up to?”

Xuan Jizi’s confusion grew further, but before she could react, those over ten gun-like weapons burst forth a dazzling spark.

“Bang!”

“Bang bang!”

Almost instantly, the Yin Evil Shield before her exploded into over ten dazzling sparks.

Xuan Jizi’s expression changed drastically; what kind of weapon is this? Why is its attack speed so rapid?

This… Are these iron pellets?

Hidden weapons?

The speed of such an impact, and attacking with such tiny iron pieces at such speed, is enough to penetrate iron weapons.

Though she had a Protective Magical Shield, if the opponent used hundreds of these weapons to attack at once, she would find it difficult to escape!

“Hmm? This strange object can actually harm cultivators; could it be a weapon refined by cultivators?”

She took a step forward, Yin Evil Qi gathering before her, forming into a giant claw reaching for the group.

Capture these people, then check their weapons; if they can be modified…

“Boom!”

“Boom, boom…!!!”

Before she could take any further action, the two iron lumps that originally fell from Chen Li’s arms exploded violently!

An intense shock wave, flames, and tiny iron fragments burst forth, wildly ravaging an area over ten meters in radius.

“Ah…!”

A few breaths later, a scream of agony from Xuan Jizi echoed amidst the flames and smoke.

The Yin Evil Shield was broken, and even she herself had suffered not insignificant injuries.

“Damn it! I, this true person, will kill you… kill you all!!!”

Before the words had finished, another over ten figures from the Embroidered Uniform Guard rushed over from the camp in the distance.

In the midst of their half-run, they suddenly raised their hands, throwing out over ten grenades.

“Boom!”

“Boom, boom!”

“Boom, boom!”

The intense rumbling continued, and Xuan Jizi quickly dodged, but couldn’t escape the range of the successive grenade explosions.

She endured the intense explosion, pointing a single hand forward, as the sound of a dragon’s roar resounded.

A flicker of black light emerged, transforming into a flying sword shooting toward the nearby Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In a flash, the flying sword effortlessly pierced through the bodies of several leading Embroidered Uniform Guards.

In the darkness, a figure clad in a green robe dashed out from a mound beside her, ghostly shadows flickering, as icy inner strength under his control transformed into numerous ghost shadows, viciously striking toward Xuan Jizi.

“Black Lotus Ghost Palm!”

“Bang!”

Successive ghost palms struck Xuan Jizi from afar, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

“Damn it! Innate Realm Martial Artists… with Seven Orifices Sealed, and vigorous blood and energy, in close combat… we, cultivators, are completely unsuitable…”

She retreated swiftly, enduring the tearing sensation within her body, and with a pat on her storage bag, a piece of earth-yellow captive shot out.

A flash of pained expression passed in her eyes, but she used her magical power to activate it nonetheless.

“Clack… clack clack…”

In an instant, the earth began gathering, with earth-yellow light flickering, taking a stance in front of her.

With a thought, the flying sword whirled back.

As long as the flying sword returned, relying on its sharpness, she would surely be able to slay this person.

“Villain, behold the sword!”

Suddenly, three more figures swiftly rushed to her front.

The fastest among them was a middle-aged man clad in a green Daoist robe.

The Three-foot Cyan Peak in his hand flashed quickly, piercing at the void between her eyebrows.

“Thousand Miles’ Throat Seal!”

With a light sound, Xuan Jizi suddenly felt a dizziness in her head, nearly collapsing to the ground, her expression changing drastically.

The twirling flying sword and rising Earth Element Shield all came to a halt following a moment of absent-mindedness.

The flying sword even faltered, dangling directly to the ground.

“Damn it!”

With a thought, she hurriedly tried to regain control of the flying sword, but the other two figures had already reached her.

One wielded a Yan Chi Saber, charging furiously, with both hands gripping the saber handle, using a move called Mount Tai Pressing Down to slash viciously at Xuan Jizi.

“Hundred Battle Blood Slaughter Saber!”

‘Boom!’

Scarlet sword qi exploded forth, shattering the Earth Element Shield Xuan Jizi had painstakingly summoned.

The third person, too, swiftly approached from the right, a burly young man, his hands noticeably larger than ordinary people.

Seizing the moment when Xuan Jizi was distracted, he extended his hands like claws, directly reaching for Xuan Jizi’s head.

“Eagle Claw Heaven-tearing Hand!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep