Yue Shuo's Nascent Soul was cleaved cleanly in two by the Crimson Soul Flying Sword. Without even a cry, it dissipated into a wisp of green smoke, vanishing between heaven and earth.
Only after obliterating his enemy's Nascent Soul did Lin Feng finally relax completely, washed over by immense relief. He was profoundly grateful he had cautiously raised his cultivation to the fourth layer of Golden Core beforehand; otherwise, his true essence would have been insufficient for this battle. He was equally fortunate to possess the Demon Light Ring as his ultimate trump card; victory wouldn't have come so easily without it. This fight truly revealed how incredibly lucky he had been to kill Huang Yisong of the Yunhuang Sect back then. Had the man not been grievously injured by Lu Danxin first, Lin Feng likely wouldn't have even had a chance to act before being swiftly eliminated.
Heart brimming with relief, Lin Feng retrieved his Unique Flame, the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman, and other artifacts. With practiced efficiency, he disposed of the corpse and erased any traces of the battle, collecting Yue Shuo's possessions into his own storage ring. Then, he flew towards the small island ahead.
With the battle concluded and Lin Feng gone, tranquility returned to the skies above the island. No sign remained of the fierce struggle that had just taken place.
Landing atop a small hill on the island, Lin Feng quickly scanned his surroundings. Detecting no immediate threats, he instructed Xiaoqiu to stand guard. He himself then settled down to meditate and recover.
Though the battle had been brief, it ranked among the most perilous Lin Feng had ever faced. He had deployed nearly every hidden card he possessed. Had that final strike with the Demon Light Ring failed, the outcome would have been utterly uncertain. Blocking Yue Shuo's devastating blade strike had also inflicted significant injuries; multiple meridians within his body were damaged. Fortunately, he was well-stocked with healing elixirs and tended to his wounds promptly. After roughly two hours of focused meditation, he had mostly recovered.
Once his injuries were stabilized, Lin Feng didn't rush to inspect the spoils taken from Yue Shuo. He had a far more pressing concern: the spirit herb hidden within the island.
Although he had deduced from Yue Shuo's earlier words that the man likely hadn't secured the herb yet, Lin Feng wouldn't rest easy without seeing it for himself. He swiftly made his way to a lake at the island's center. Activating an Earth Evasion Talisman, he sank into the ground.
Descending over three hundred meters, Lin Feng's view suddenly opened up. A spacious tunnel appeared before him. Stepping into it felt like entering another world. In stark contrast to the sparse spiritual energy on the surface, the energy here was astonishingly dense, likely equivalent to the concentration within a Grade Four Spirit Gathering Array.
Lin Feng knew the location and nature of this tunnel from his father's jade slip. However, he noticed something different: several chambers had been carved into the tunnel walls, clearly fashioned into a rudimentary cave dwelling. This was undoubtedly Yue Shuo's handiwork.
Sweeping the chambers with his spiritual sense revealed nothing noteworthy. Lin Feng proceeded inward. After walking about a hundred meters, his path was blocked by a shimmering, milky-white barrier of light.
Seeing this barrier finally eased Lin Feng's lingering anxiety. This was the protective barrier his father had erected around the spirit herb. Its continued existence meant the herb inside remained untouched. However, the collapsed sections of tunnel wall near the barrier bore witness to Yue Shuo's attempts to force his way through. The rich spiritual energy permeating the outer tunnel was also leaking out from within the barrier, indicating it had weakened and loosened. Given more time, Yue Shuo might very well have succeeded in breaching it.
Lin Feng silently thanked his luck for arriving in time. After a careful inspection of the immediate area, he retrieved the jade slip left by his father from his storage ring.
"Hmmmm…"
The moment the jade slip appeared, it emitted a faint glow. Simultaneously, the light barrier ahead resonated with a soft vibration. As Lin Feng released it, the slip floated forward autonomously. Upon touching the barrier, ripples spread across its surface like water. An oval-shaped gateway, roughly two meters high and noticeably paler than the surrounding barrier, materialized before Lin Feng.
Lin Feng stepped through the gateway. The jade slip followed him inside, and the gateway vanished instantly, the barrier sealing seamlessly once more.
On the other side of the barrier, Lin Feng found himself within a spherical space approximately fifty meters in diameter. Encased entirely by the luminous barrier except for the floor beneath his feet, the entire chamber was bathed in a dreamlike radiance of seven colors. The source of this kaleidoscopic light was a single spirit herb growing from the center of the floor.
The herb was unmistakably shaped like a lotus flower. It possessed seven petals, each a distinct hue mirroring the colors of a rainbow. At its center sat a fist-sized, pristine white lotus seedpod. Seven small apertures dotted the pod's surface, each cradling a single seed, shimmering with the same seven colors.
This was the supreme spirit herb his father had risked everything to find for him—the Seven-Color Immortal Lotus!!
His father's jade slip had only mentioned the herb's name. Despite scouring countless ancient texts and records, Lin Feng had found absolutely no information about the Seven-Color Immortal Lotus. He didn't even know its grade, though he surmised it must be at least Grade Seven, if not higher.
"Such intense spiritual energy…" Lin Feng murmured, tearing his gaze away from the breathtaking lotus to fully take in his surroundings. The energy density here was staggering. The mere leakage that had filled the outer tunnel was comparable to a Grade Four Spirit Gathering Array. The concentration inside this chamber was exponentially higher, surpassing even the mysterious hall within the Black Mist Herb Valley.
Lin Feng approached the Seven-Color Immortal Lotus, examining it meticulously. According to his father's instructions within the jade slip, the herb was considered fully mature when all seven seeds within the lotus heart had fully emerged. Judging by its current state, the lotus was very close to maturity. The critical question was how much longer it would take.
Such legendary herbs grew on timescales measured in centuries, even millennia. "Nearly mature" could easily mean another decade, two, or longer. Lin Feng couldn't afford to wait that long. Delay also invited risk – what if another powerful cultivator like Yue Shuo discovered this place?
Fortunately, Lin Feng possessed a method to accelerate the process: forced maturation.
He had experimented twice with the Spirit Spring Water's ability to hasten the growth of spirit herbs. It should work on this Immortal Lotus too.
Sitting cross-legged directly before the radiant plant, Lin Feng retrieved a vial of Spirit Spring Water. He tentatively sprinkled a few drops onto the lotus. The water was absorbed almost instantaneously, but no immediate visible change occurred. This Seven-Color Immortal Lotus was on an entirely different level compared to the Ten-Breath Golden Epiphyllum; clearly, much more spring water would be needed. Without hesitation, Lin Feng poured nearly half the vial's contents onto the lotus.
This time, the effect was immediate and pronounced. Lin Feng distinctly sensed the lotus's glow intensify noticeably. The seven seeds at its heart shone with dazzling brilliance, almost painfully bright. His keen spiritual sense detected that each seed had swelled ever so slightly and pushed upwards a minuscule fraction – though the change was still incredibly small.
It seems even more Spirit Spring Water is required than I anticipated… Lin Feng thought with a silent sigh. He didn't hesitate further. He produced the large wine-jar, as big as a watermelon. Channeling his true essence, he directed a thick stream of the luminous water, as if guided by an invisible tube, pouring generously over the Immortal Lotus.
"Hmmmm…"
Instantly, the Seven-Color Immortal Lotus seemed to hum with delight, its entire structure vibrating faintly. All seven petals quivered subtly, and the radiance from the central seeds intensified dramatically.
Driven by the urgent need to mature the lotus and begin his Cultivation Method Transformation, Lin Feng pushed aside any reluctance about using the precious Spirit Spring Water. He continued the deluge until nearly three-quarters of the large jar's contents had been consumed before finally stopping.
"That should suffice…" Lin Feng observed the lotus intently for a few moments. He then turned to Xiaoqiu perched on his shoulder. "Xiaoqiu, I'm preparing for the Cultivation Method Transformation. Go over there and don't disturb me."
"Qiu!" Xiaoqiu chirped obediently. He hopped down, found a spot near the luminous barrier, curled up, and watched Lin Feng quietly.
"Haa…" Lin Feng exhaled softly, steadying himself. He closed his eyes and sank into deep meditation, meticulously adjusting his physical and spiritual state to its peak.
...
Time flowed by imperceptibly. Lin Feng became as still as a statue, not moving a muscle. Before him, the Seven-Color Immortal Lotus grew increasingly resplendent, its glow intensifying until it resembled a miniature, multi-colored sun.
An immeasurable period later, when the lotus's radiance reached its absolute zenith, Lin Feng's eyes snapped open. Sharp light flashed within them. His right hand shot out, fingers splayed towards the lotus.
As if summoned, the seven vibrantly colored seeds detached themselves from the lotus pod and floated into the air above his open palm.
Lin Feng gazed at the seven seeds hovering there for several heartbeats. Then, abruptly, he opened his mouth and inhaled sharply, drawing all seven seeds into his body in one swift motion!
"BOOOM!!!"
In that instant, Lin Feng was utterly engulfed by an explosion of seven-colored light…