Chapter 72

"Turns out Senior Sister is here too!"

Zongshou closed his eyes and took a deep breath, striving to calm the surging qi and blood within him. When he opened his eyes again, his mind had already returned to its calm state, and his face was filled with a pleasant expression: "Junior Brother only heard that there is a Pulse Spirit Grass here, which would be beneficial to my dual-meridian body. So I came to look for it. But why is Senior Sister in the Blood Valley? Even if you want to train, there are many places to choose from. Why come to such a dangerous place?"

He was indeed surprised. In Zongshou's memory, the disciples of Linhai Academy had to travel outside when they reached the Spirit Nurturing Realm, traversing all the places where spirit veins converged. They could only return to the academy after reaching the Soul Out-of-Body Realm.

And at this moment, Gong Xinran was clearly not yet at that realm.

"Even you know this is a dangerous place!"

Gong Xinran sniffed, then shook her head with a hint of bitterness: "Do you think I'm here for training? Do you think Senior Sister is like you? No matter how arrogant I am, I wouldn't easily come to such a dangerous place, let alone choose this place to nurture my soul and temper my mind. Wouldn't it be better to just walk around in Donglin Yunlu? Remember what Senior Sister told you before? Our Gong family once produced a Dayou Realm Spirit Master. Three thousand years ago, he was the dominant force in Donglin Yunlu, but he eventually fell in the Blood Valley, leading to the decline of our family. This time, I came to the Blood Valley to find the relics of my ancestor. Once I reach the Soul Out-of-Body Realm, I won't be able to come in anymore—"

Zongshou quickly searched through the sealed memories in his mind and indeed found some related memories.

He thought to himself, no wonder this girl made 'Zongshou' like her so much. She spoke without any ulterior motives and was extremely honest with people. Even about something as important as the relics of a high-ranking ancestor, she didn't hide it from him. Her concern for 'Zongshou' was also genuine.

Gong Xinran, however, didn't notice anything unusual and turned her head: "I have the blood of my ancestor, so I can sense the location of his remains. Fortunately, my Senior Brother Gaoyi, being the young master of the Gao family in Longling City, can find some people to help. So we came in to try. If we find it, that's great; if not, it will still fulfill a long-held wish, and I can then be at ease." She smiled and pointed behind her, where another Spirit Master stood among the group. He was tall, handsome, and exuded an aura of nobility. At that moment, he nodded politely in their direction, but his expression was somewhat cold.

Zongshou felt a slight sting in his chest, feeling inexplicably bitter and somewhat dislike for this 'Senior Brother Gaoyi.'

He remembered this person. Two years ago, when they were still at the academy, he was extremely close to Gong Xinran, almost like a couple, and now they were indeed together.

Deep down, he was secretly lamenting. This wasn't his true feeling. Although the consciousness of 'Zongshou' had already dissipated, its influence on this body and his own consciousness was still strong.

This was one of the reasons why those who took over a body didn't want to merge with the original soul. Besides maintaining a pure spirit, they also didn't want to be influenced by the original soul's consciousness.

But his situation was somewhat different. When he came to this time, his mind and consciousness were still intact, but the divine sense and martial arts concepts he had cultivated in his previous life had vanished without a trace, leaving him with nothing. When 'Zongshou' chose to merge his consciousness, there was no room for refusal.

"That's your family's maid? She's so cute! To be able to tame a third-stage Cold Hell Tiger as a guardian, she must be a Spirit Nurturing Realm Spirit Master, right? Tsk tsk, truly worthy of being the Crown Prince of Qiantian Mountain. But you two are really reckless! In these ten thousand years, how many martial cultivators and Spirit Masters have died in the Blood Valley? You're just a little girl who has just reached the Spirit Nurturing Realm, and he can't even cultivate. There are only two of you, and you dare to come in? By the way, is that Pulse Spirit Grass really useful for you, Junior Brother?"

Gong Xinran looked at Chuxue with admiration, then scolded her without mercy. Finally, she turned her eyes and forcefully pulled Zongshou's hand, dragging him toward the group of martial cultivators.

As they approached, she smiled sweetly at Gaoyi: "Senior Brother Yi, do you remember Junior Brother Zongshou? What a coincidence, to meet an old friend from the academy here in the Blood Valley. He wants to go inside to collect the Pulse Spirit Grass. Have you heard of it, Senior Brother?"

Zongshou followed Gong Xinran with a sense of helplessness, carefully observing the group of martial cultivators, feeling a bit startled.

Among the eight people, besides Gaoyi and Gong Xinran, the other six were all Secret Martial Cultivators. When they killed those Fang Lang earlier, they were extremely efficient and seemed to have been through many battles. Their fierce aura was not something ordinary martial cultivators could match.

Longling City was one of the major cities in the East, and he hadn't heard of the Gao family. But in 'Zongshou's' original memory, they seemed to be a powerful clan that had recently risen to prominence.

"Zongshou? Of course I remember, the Crown Prince of Qiantian Mountain, right?"

Gaoyi's lips curled in a mocking smile, his eyes clearly showing some dislike, but it quickly disappeared, and he lowered his head to think: "I haven't heard of the Pulse Spirit Grass. Inside the Blood Valley, there are countless spirit herbs, and most of them are similar. Unless you are someone who has been collecting herbs for a long time, it's hard for others to identify them. I wonder if Junior Brother Zongshou can describe the appearance of this herb? We can collect it for you."

Zongshou shook his head slightly; it was normal not to have heard of it.

The Pulse Spirit Grass, even in the later era, had a very obscure use, and the alchemists and spirit masters of this era naturally wouldn't know its function. Even its name was only used in the later era.

It was precisely because it couldn't be bought in the market, even in the nearby Yunsheng City, that Zongshou chose to come in and collect it himself.

As for its characteristics, he couldn't describe them either. He could only try one by one and identify it by experience.

"How can this be?"

Gong Xinran's eyes clearly dimmed, but she quickly recovered: "Senior Brother, since it's on the way, why don't we let them follow us for a while? Junior Brother can't cultivate, and this girl, though a Spirit Master, is too young. I can't feel at ease letting them go to collect herbs alone!"

Gaoyi's brows immediately furrowed, and he glanced at Zongshou, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. When he looked at Chuxue, his expression brightened. But before he could speak, a cold sneer came from the side: "Follow us for a while? Miss Xinran, are you joking, or do you think we're bodyguards? A useless person who hasn't even opened his meridians should know his place. Ordinary fierce beasts are one thing, but if we encounter a beast pack, I, Qi Nu, am not like him, a useless person who doesn't know when to die. It would be better if he died—"

The speaker was short and stocky, with a broad waist and muscular arms. His face was scarred, making him look even more terrifying when he spoke. He was also a dual-cultivator of martial arts and spirit, but his qi and blood were strong, and he had hidden his spirit power, so he was probably not yet at the Soul Observation Realm.

Before he could finish, Gaoyi shouted: "Shut up!"

Gaoyi seemed to have great authority among the martial cultivators. Although Qi Nu was somewhat unwilling, he grunted and fell silent. Gaoyi then rubbed his temples in frustration: "This journey is dangerous, and you know that, right? There are countless fierce beasts, and we can't even guarantee our own safety. How can we take others in? To be frank, the girl is fine, but Junior Brother Zongshou is completely helpless. He would just be a burden to us, adding to the danger! If you really care about them, you should let them go back—"

His words were equally harsh, but Zongshou didn't get angry; he just watched quietly. Although he had already cultivated to the Martial Master Realm and his spirit power had reached the peak of the Soul Observation Realm, he was currently using a concealment technique to hide his aura, making him seem like an ordinary person.

He thought to himself, it would be best if they could go their separate ways. For him, traveling together would be the worst scenario. These people, though skilled in combat, would only be a hindrance to him and Chuxue.

Not to mention, he had the medicinal juice that allowed him to move freely in the Blood Valley. Even without it, the few fierce beasts here wouldn't necessarily be able to stop him!

Gong Xinran didn't know his thoughts, but her expression was helpless, yet she persisted: "Senior Brother! They have already come this far, can we really send them back? My Junior Brother is stubborn; no matter how much I persuade him, it won't work. Once we leave, he will definitely follow. It would be better to let them get the Pulse Spirit Grass so I can be at ease. If Senior Brother doesn't want to, I will go with them!"

c@.

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