The deeper Lin Shuan traveled into the Treasure Region—
the stranger the world became.
The ancient ruins gradually disappeared behind him.
The traces of the Yu Long Sect faded into the distance.
Only endless wilderness remained.
Cracked dimensions floated throughout the sky.
Broken islands drifted through the void.
Sometimes entire mountains could be seen hanging upside down in the darkness above.
Other times—
Lin Shuan would witness rivers flowing through empty space itself.
The entire world looked like the remains of a shattered heaven.
Yet despite the destruction—
life still flourished.
Ancient life.
Primordial life.
As though this region had been preserved since the beginning of history.
Lin Shuan moved carefully through the dense forest.
The vegetation became increasingly dangerous.
Many plants possessed sharp thorns covered with deadly toxins.
Strange insects the size of fists crawled through the trees.
Some possessed glowing eyes.
Others emitted poisonous mist.
Several times Lin Shuan was forced to change direction after Tian Wuchen warned him about hidden dangers.
"Don't touch that vine."
"Why?"
"Because you'll die."
Lin Shuan immediately withdrew his hand.
A few moments later—
the seemingly harmless vine wrapped around a passing beast.
Within seconds—
the beast was reduced to a skeleton.
Lin Shuan swallowed.
"...Good thing I asked."
Tian Wuchen snorted.
"Brat."
"Your survival instincts still need improvement."
Hours passed.
The forest grew darker.
The air became increasingly ancient.
Then suddenly—
the scenery changed.
Lin Shuan stepped through a wall of ancient trees.
And froze.
"..."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even his breathing stopped.
Before him stretched an enormous valley.
A valley unlike anything he had ever seen.
Countless ancient herbs covered the land.
Golden flowers.
Silver vines.
Crimson fruits.
Crystal-like trees.
Ancient plants filled every corner of the valley.
The spiritual energy here was so dense that mist had formed naturally.
The entire valley seemed to glow.
Every single plant radiated astonishing vitality.
For a long time—
Lin Shuan simply stared.
Unable to speak.
Unable to move.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen had become equally silent.
The old monster's soul trembled.
His eyes widened.
Disbelief covered his face.
Lin Shuan finally recovered.
"Master...?"
No answer.
"Master?"
Still no answer.
Several moments later—
Tian Wuchen finally spoke.
His voice sounded almost dazed.
"...Impossible."
Lin Shuan blinked.
"What?"
The old monster continued staring.
As though he had seen a ghost.
"No..."
"This shouldn't exist..."
Lin Shuan became curious.
"What happened?"
Tian Wuchen slowly raised a trembling hand.
He pointed toward a silver vine growing near the center of the valley.
"That vine..."
"I've only seen drawings of it."
Lin Shuan looked carefully.
The vine appeared ordinary.
Tian Wuchen's voice trembled.
"That's a Nine-Revolution Spirit Vine."
"It disappeared before my era even began."
Lin Shuan's eyes widened.
Before his era?
That alone was shocking.
But Tian Wuchen wasn't finished.
He pointed elsewhere.
"And that flower."
"The Seven-Colored Heaven Blossom."
"Extinct."
Then another.
"And that tree."
"The Primordial Blood Spirit Tree."
"Extinct."
Another.
"And that fruit."
"The Million-Year Sun Fruit."
"Extinct."
Lin Shuan's mouth slowly opened.
Tian Wuchen continued naming herb after herb.
Every single one had vanished from the outside world countless years ago.
Some had only been recorded in ancient books.
Some existed only in legends.
Some were believed to be myths.
Yet here—
they grew like common grass.
Everywhere.
Covering the entire valley.
Tian Wuchen suddenly laughed.
Then laughed harder.
Then nearly started cursing.
"Madness!"
"This is absolute madness!"
Lin Shuan had never seen him lose composure like this.
The old monster looked as though he had gone insane.
"I spent decades searching for some of these herbs!"
"Entire sects went to war over some of them!"
"And here—"
He pointed toward the valley.
"They're growing everywhere!"
Lin Shuan became speechless.
Even in Tian Wuchen's era—
these treasures had been priceless.
Then what about now?
Their value was unimaginable.
One herb alone could probably trigger a war.
Several together might destroy kingdoms.
An entire valley?
Even emperors would go mad.
Lin Shuan looked toward the endless sea of medicinal treasures.
His heart began racing.
"Master..."
Tian Wuchen immediately answered.
"Take everything."
Lin Shuan blinked.
"What happened to 'greed causes disaster'?"
The old monster replied instantly.
"This is different."
"Very different."
"Take everything you can."
Lin Shuan laughed.
For the first time—
he had found something capable of making Tian Wuchen lose his calm.
But before either of them could move—
Tian Wuchen suddenly froze.
His expression changed.
Completely.
"Hide."
Lin Shuan's smile disappeared.
"What?"
"HIDE!"
The urgency in Tian Wuchen's voice startled him.
Without hesitation—
Lin Shuan activated the Lightning Immortal Path.
Crack!
His figure vanished.
A moment later—
he concealed himself inside dense vegetation near the valley's edge.
Silence returned.
Then—
something appeared.
Black liquid.
It flowed across the ground like living darkness.
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
He recognized it immediately.
Hei Luo's ability.
The liquid gathered together.
Slowly taking human form.
Moments later—
the Immortal Seed expert appeared.
The same mysterious man from before.
The moment he saw the valley—
his body trembled.
His breathing became heavy.
Then—
he began laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
His laughter echoed throughout the valley.
His eyes became bloodshot.
Filled with greed.
Filled with madness.
Filled with excitement.
"So it's here..."
"Finally..."
His voice trembled.
"The Primordial Medicine Garden..."
"The legends were true..."
He slowly spread his arms.
Looking at the countless herbs.
Looking at the ancient treasures.
Looking at the fortune before him.
Then he shouted toward the heavens.
"My Yue Sha Empire will rise again!"
"Hahahaha!"
"The Eight Empires will tremble!"
"My ancestors..."
"Your descendants have not failed you!"
Lin Shuan's expression immediately changed.
Yue Sha Empire?
His mind shook.
Inside the pendant—
even Tian Wuchen narrowed his eyes.
Lin Shuan whispered.
"Yue Sha Empire...?"
He knew that name.
Everyone knew that name.
An empire that had vanished long ago.
An empire whose cruelty had once terrified entire regions.
An empire believed to have been destroyed millenniums ago.
Yet this man...
Was rebuilding it?
The Immortal Seed expert laughed again.
"Thank you..."
"Yu Long Wei."
"I have not forgotten our agreement."
Soon—
dozens of Yu Long Sect cultivators arrived.
The moment they saw the valley—
they became equally stunned.
Many almost fainted.
Some trembled uncontrollably.
Others stared with greedy eyes.
One elder gasped.
"Heavens..."
"So many treasures..."
Another elder muttered.
"This fortune could support a sect for ten thousand years..."
The entire group erupted into excitement.
Meanwhile—
hidden among the vegetation—
Lin Shuan's expression became increasingly ugly.
Yu Long Sect.
Yue Sha Empire.
Working together?
His heart sank.
Could it be...
Could Yu Long Sect truly be betraying Da Cang Empire?
The possibility made his blood run cold.
Then suddenly—
the liquid expert became serious.
His eyes swept across the valley.
"You."
"You."
"And you."
Three Soul Spark experts stepped forward immediately.
"Senior."
The man pointed toward the forest.
"Find that boy."
The elders froze.
"Shuan hao?"
A strange smile appeared.
"Yes."
"I should thank him."
The surrounding cultivators became confused.
The man continued.
"Although he killed my nephew."
"Although Hei Luo died because of him."
"It was also because of him that I found this place."
Lin Shuan's eyes widened.
So Hei Luo truly was related to him.
No wonder his abilities felt similar.
The liquid expert smiled coldly.
"Bring him to me."
"Alive."
A Yu Long Sect elder immediately became unhappy.
"Senior."
The man's eyes shifted.
The elder continued.
"Do not forget."
"That boy is also an enemy of Yu Long Sect."
"We have no intention of letting him leave alive."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The liquid expert stared at him.
Then laughed.
"Of course."
"He is your enemy."
"But first..."
He looked toward the endless valley.
"Let me gather these treasures."
His eyes became greedy.
"My empire is about to be reborn."
"After all these years..."
"It will once again spread fear throughout the world."
A faint crooked smile appeared on his face.
A smile that made even several Yu Long Sect elders uncomfortable.
Because for a moment—
they felt as though they were looking at a predator.
Not an ally.
Not a partner.
A predator.
One hiding its true intentions.
One waiting patiently.
Watching.
Planning.
Yet none of them truly understood what he intended to do.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shuan remained hidden.
His fists slowly tightened.
Yue Sha Empire.
The black liquid.
The burning ruins of his clan.
Suddenly—
another memory surfaced.
Flames.
Blood.
Corpses.
And amidst the destruction—
black liquid.
The same black liquid.
His killing intent surged.
The stone beneath his feet cracked silently.
"Master..."
His voice became cold.
Very cold.
"Even if I can't fight them directly..."
"I cannot allow them to leave with these treasures."
"If Yue Sha Empire rises again using this place..."
His eyes narrowed.
"The future will become dangerous."
Tian Wuchen nodded.
He understood.
The boy wasn't thinking only about revenge.
He was thinking about consequences.
About the future.
A chilling thought suddenly surfaced in Lin Shuan's mind.
Behind the backs of the Da Cang Empire's rulers, the Yu Long Sect had secretly formed an alliance with the long-forgotten Yue Sha Empire.
This was no ordinary cooperation.
This was betrayal.
Treason.
If the Primordial Medicine Garden truly fell into their hands, the Yue Sha Empire could rapidly recover its former strength.
And once that happened...
The balance of power across the entire continent would be shattered.
Countless lives would be dragged into war.
Lin Shuan slowly clenched his fists.
So this was their true objective.
The Yu Long Sect was not merely searching for treasures.
They were helping a fallen empire rise from the ashes.
A dangerous light flashed through his eyes.
"I can't let them leave with these treasures..."
Even if he lacked the strength to stop them alone.
Even if an Immortal Seed expert stood among them.
He had to do something.
Because if Yue Sha Empire truly returned...
The future of Da Cang Empire would be far darker than anyone imagined.
Lin Shuan took a deep breath.
Then Lin Shuan said quietly—
"Master."
"I need your help."
Tian Wuchen smiled.
"Finally asking for help?"
Lin Shuan coughed.
"Just this once."
The old monster chuckled.
Then his soul began emerging from the pendant.
Ancient power gathered.
The air trembled.
Lin Shuan's eyes brightened.
But suddenly—
Tian Wuchen froze.
His expression changed.
"What?"
The old monster frowned.
Then tried again.
Nothing happened.
His soul could not emerge.
A powerful invisible force blocked him.
The surrounding space itself seemed to reject his existence.
Tian Wuchen's face became ugly.
"No..."
Lin Shuan blinked.
"What happened?"
The old monster slowly withdrew.
His expression was serious.
"I can't leave."
"What?"
"This place rejects powerful existences."
"Something here prevents beings above a certain level from interfering."
Lin Shuan's heart sank.
"So you can't help?"
Tian Wuchen sighed.
"Not directly."
The situation suddenly became much worse.
Dozens of enemies.
An Immortal Seed expert.
And Tian Wuchen trapped inside the pendant.
For a moment—
Lin Shuan fell silent.
How was he supposed to stop them?
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The earth suddenly shook.
The entire valley trembled violently.
Everyone froze.
Another explosion echoed.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Trees collapsed.
Mountains trembled.
The medicinal herbs swayed wildly.
The Yu Long Sect cultivators immediately looked toward the horizon.
Then—
they saw it.
A colossal figure rising from the distant forest.
Golden scales.
Enormous body.
Terrifying pressure.
Half dragon.
Half serpent.
A true primordial beast.
Lin Shuan's eyes widened.
Then he slapped his forehead.
"Longshe!"
"Aiya!"
"I forgot he came with me!"
Inside the pendant—
even Tian Wuchen became speechless.
The gigantic Dragon Snake emerged completely.
Its enormous body towered above the forest.
Its pressure covered the entire valley.
Many Yu Long Sect cultivators immediately turned pale.
Several stepped backward instinctively.
The weaker members nearly collapsed.
Fear appeared everywhere.
Meanwhile—
the liquid expert reacted instantly.
Unlike everyone else—
he wasn't shocked.
His eyes narrowed immediately.
Danger.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
He shouted.
"Move!"
Everyone froze.
"Senior?"
The man's voice thundered.
"STOP STARING!"
"Collect the herbs!"
"Take everything you can!"
"NOW!"
His instincts screamed at him.
The Dragon Snake had not appeared by coincidence.
Someone was here.
Someone was watching them.
And that someone—
might already be preparing a trap.
As the valley descended into chaos—
hidden among the shadows—
Lin Shuan slowly smiled.
Perhaps—
this battle wasn't hopeless after all.