The battle was nearly over.
Dozens of intelligent herbs lay scattered across the forest floor, their spiritual energy fading, their once-sentient forms now charred husks.
"Please don't burn me! Mercy, fairy sister, spare me!" the dogtail grass screamed mentally, its body twisting in the fire. The proud air it once held had vanished, replaced by pathetic desperation. A sweet herbal scent wafted through the air as it blackened.
"Too late for that, idiot."
Hong Qianye's voice was cold, his glare even colder. The mocking title "fairy sister" only fueled his rage. A surge of crimson fire shot from his palm, engulfing the trembling herb. Within seconds, it was ash blowing in the wind.
"Old hag! You'll pay for this!" a sunflower shrieked, trembling in fury as it witnessed its companion's demise.
"Oh? I'd love to see you try," Hong Qianye replied with a smirk. He twisted his hand, and the flames surged again, roaring as they coiled around his arm like a living serpent.
The sunflower didn't hesitate. It launched a golden beam of spiritual light, tearing through the air like a blade. The ground cracked beneath the shockwave.
But it wasn't enough.
With a sharp crack, the sunflower was smashed into fragments, its remains scattering like confetti.
Li Wujie darted through the battlefield, his blade a blur. Precious herbs were sliced apart cleanly, their stumps still glowing faintly as they fell.
Within moments, the area fell quiet.
"Pack it up. We'll stew them later," Ye Junlin said, casually brushing imaginary dust off his robes.
"Yes, Master," Li Wujie replied without missing a beat.
"Wait, this one's still twitching," Bai Xiaoxi crouched down beside a vine that writhed slightly. She poked it with a stick, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Sensing death, the vine reacted violently. It surged with a final burst of life, the tip blooming into a radiant flower. From within, a silver orb of light shot into the sky.
Swish!
The orb exploded midair, revealing the shimmering image of a silver axe hovering against the clouds.
Then the vine collapsed, completely still.
Li Wujie's brows furrowed. "What was that supposed to be…?"
Ye Junlin stared at the silver axe symbol, an odd glint in his eyes. "A signal. Looks like a distress call from the Axe Gang."
He looked around thoughtfully.
The herbs had intelligence—some of them were clearly forming factions like human cultivators.
That vine had just called for backup.
"Which means," Ye Junlin muttered, "we're about to be attacked by a whole damn army of weeds."
"Good," Hong Qianye said flatly, "More firewood."
Li Wujie coughed lightly. "Senior Hong, try not to overdo it. These herbs are pretty valuable. Let's not waste them."
Hong Qianye scoffed. "I'll do what I like."
Ye Junlin smiled. "You two noticed it too, right?"
Both nodded.
"Master," Li Wujie said, "these weren't just ordinary spirit herbs. If this trend continues, the ones we meet next might be even stronger."
The implication was clear.
If Hong Qianye and Li Wujie—monsters even while suppressed—were barely holding them off, what chance did the average cultivator have?
Most of the people who entered this place wouldn't make it out.
"They'll be used as punching bags," Hong Qianye said, voice low. "Playthings for bored herbs."
He turned his gaze toward the valley's horizon. "I'm telling you, this is intentional. The Medicine Sovereign planned all of it. The man's not some great benefactor—he's a lunatic playing god."
"The Medicine Sovereign?" Li Wujie looked uneasy. "But he's always been hailed as a benevolent legend… kind-hearted, brilliant in medicine. He saved countless lives…"
"Please. If he really cared, why open this place at all?" Hong Qianye shot back. "Close it off forever and let the herbs grow in peace. But no, he makes a show of it every hundred thousand years like some grand benefactor, while in reality, it's a glorified slaughterhouse."
Li Wujie opened his mouth to argue, but fell silent. His logic didn't hold up.
"Whatever," Ye Junlin said, waving off the tension. "We'll figure it out as we go."
He didn't feel any urgency. On the contrary, he was intrigued. What kind of herb was worth this much trouble?
---
Meanwhile…
Deep within the valley, nestled atop a living throne of intertwined vines, a small, golden figure radiated power. Roughly the size of a teacup, it looked like a ginseng root with arms, legs, and a face of ancient wisdom.
The Golden Ginseng.
A legendary being, revered even among the strongest herbs. Rumors said that a single root of its kind could help cultivators break through bottlenecks or recover from the brink of death.
It was far more than a rare treasure.
It was the undisputed king of herbs.
"Someone sent a distress call, didn't they?" the Golden Ginseng asked, voice brimming with authority.
"Yes, Ginseng King," a vine-shaped subordinate confirmed.
"Hmph. Who dares pick a fight with my Axe Gang? Another faction in the valley?"
"I doubt it," a flower-shaped herb chimed in. "We've had peace for years."
"Could it be… humans?" another voice asked. "Today is the opening of Medicine King Valley."
"Impossible," scoffed a pumpkin-looking herb. "The Human Race is laughable. Whenever they enter, we beat them senseless. What could they possibly do?"
"Yeah! All bark, no bite!"
Their mockery echoed through the chamber—until it was cut off by a sudden, crushing psychic wave.
"Silence," the Golden Ginseng ordered.
The energy that radiated from it demanded respect. The lesser herbs immediately shut up.
"If humans have entered," the Ginseng King declared, "then let's see which of them is stupid enough to challenge my Axe Gang."
He pulled out a silver axe—a cultivator's artifact, long since claimed from a fallen human.
Raising it overhead, he growled, "Let's go."
---
Elsewhere in the valley, dreams were crumbling fast.
Cultivators who'd entered Medicine King Valley with hope and ambition were now lying bruised and broken across the landscape.
Their cultivation had been forcefully suppressed to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and worse, the herbs were terrifyingly powerful.
Crack!
A sentient willow lashed its branch across a man's face. He collapsed, coughing blood, unable to fight back.
A massive squash-like herb—its aura stronger than most Qi Refining Twelfth Layer cultivators—sat proudly on the back of a middle-aged man, forcing him to crawl like a dog.
Even once-dignified cultivators were reduced to humiliation.
Nearby, several beautiful female cultivators had been stripped and forced to dance on a bonfire, surrounded by hopping herbs that looked like drunk rabbits on festival day.
It was chaos.
The Human Race, once the rulers of cultivation, were now being toyed with by literal plants.
"Stop! Please, I'll do whatever you want, just stop hitting me!"
"Run! This place is a setup, a trap!"
"Why didn't anyone warn us?!"
"These herbs are monsters! I ranked top ten in my sect—why can't I even beat a weed?!"
Their cries echoed across the valley.
A collective panic settled over Medicine King Valley.
And it was only the beginning.
__
Support me on p@treon.
[email protected]/Zphyr_
Change @ to a.