"There's no use talking about it now.
Let's just wait here."
A middle-aged man in blue robes sighed.
It was Old Wu who had initially brought Lin Fei back to this True Immortals' hidden sanctuary, only to be turned on by Lin Fei, which nearly resulted in their complete annihilation.
Meanwhile, following the ancient vine's instructions, Ye Yunfei carefully made his way to the barren peak where the old vine resided.
The withered old vine lay not far away, clinging to a rock, unmoving.
The rock itself had begun to weather, and when the wind blew, one could see the dust of crumbled stone being carried away.
"Senior," Ye Yunfei called out, stopping and staring at the old vine clinging to the rock ahead.
From this old vine, Ye Yunfei could perceive not the slightest trace of vitality or vigor. It appeared to be decaying, emitting waves of deathly aura, making it hard to believe it was still alive.
"Ahem... Young man, I'm truly grateful you came in.
Over the years, you are the first living being to stand before me.
My mobility is limited; I cannot properly host you. Please bear with the simplicity."
The old vine's voice was weak and listless.
Earlier, it had used Sound Transmission to speak to Ye Yunfei, but now it vocalized, sounding even more frail.
"It's no trouble, Senior. Please don't stand on ceremony," Ye Yunfei replied, performing a respectful bow.
"This old vine somewhat resembles the legendary Ten Thousand Laws Vine!" Hun Lao, who had been scrutinizing the vine, suddenly recalled a type of great medicinal herb from ancient legends and immediately sent a Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei. "It's said the Ten Thousand Laws Vine was a superior medicinal herb commonly cultivated by cultivators in the Ancient Era. Its medicinal value was extremely high; it could be used both for healing injuries and assisting in cultivation, breaking through realms. In the Ancient Era, powerful major factions often cultivated Ten Thousand Laws Vines. They were considered relatively common but still highly valuable superior herbs. But later, for some unknown reason, this ancient great herb became increasingly rare and eventually vanished."
"Indeed, I am a Ten Thousand Laws Vine," the old vine spoke up before Ye Yunfei could respond, its tone gaining a bit more strength this time. "If my eyes do not deceive me, young man, that ancient tree on you is likely a branch fallen from a Chaos World Tree, is it not?"
What?
Both Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao were startled by the old vine's words.
This vine looked on the verge of death, with no discernible energy aura, yet it could directly overhear their Sound Transmission.
"Do not be surprised. I truly can hear your Sound Transmission.
We of the Ten Thousand Laws Vine race, if we survive long enough, can perceive many subtle things in the world, including communication between living beings via Sound Transmission," the old vine said with a weak laugh.
"Senior, may I ask why you asked me to come in?" Ye Yunfei inquired.
"Young man, your proficiency in Formations seems quite good. I wish to ask you to help me reinforce several Formations and restrictions.
Please let me explain in detail first," the old vine said softly.
"I have existed for far, far too long. In truth, I should have long since rotted away, completely dissipated into nothingness," the old vine continued.
"That can't be right," Hun Lao suddenly spoke up. "According to my racial memories, among the various great medicinal herbs of the Ancient Era, your Ten Thousand Laws Vine race was known for extreme longevity. Living tens of thousands of years, even hundreds of thousands, would normally be no problem at all."
"Truly worthy of the Chaos World Tree Clan, knowledgeable and experienced. You are correct," the old vine replied. "In a normal environment, our race could indeed survive for extremely long epochs. But look at this space-time. There is no energy, no laws. In such an environment, how could I possibly survive for such an extensive period? The reason I've been clinging to life until now is solely reliant on several ancient Formations and restrictions that remotely draw trace amounts of energy and laws from other dimensions, allowing me to barely survive. But these Formations and restrictions have now existed for too many eons. They are gradually decaying and probably won't hold for much longer."
"So that's the reason!" Ye Yunfei finally understood why this old vine had sought him out.
"Indeed, this space-time has no energy or laws. As a great medicinal herb, you have no source of nourishment here," Hun Lao nodded, acknowledging the truth of the vine's words.
"Senior, the concept of Formations and restrictions that can remotely draw energy and laws from other dimensions is far too profound. I have not studied them, nor have I even heard of such things. With my current level of expertise, I'm not certain I can be of help," Ye Yunfei said thoughtfully after a moment.
"That's fine. Even if you ultimately cannot help me, I will not blame you.
Moreover, I understand the principles behind these Formations and restrictions. I can guide you.
The biggest challenge right now is that setting up these Formations and restrictions requires a large quantity of materials, and the higher their quality, the better.
I don't know how many Formation materials you carry with you," the old vine said slowly.
"Senior, I carry a decent quantity of Formation materials. However, they are likely far from what you would consider 'high-grade,'" Ye Yunfei answered. With a wave of his hand, a dozen spatial rings flew out and hovered before him. These rings contained exclusively Formation materials.
"Mediocre, I suppose," the old vine said after sensing them. "They fall quite short of what I hoped for, but they can still be of some use."
Seeing this, Hun Lao wanted to send Ye Yunfei a Sound Transmission. Formations were one of Ye Yunfei's most powerful trump cards against enemies. These materials were extremely precious to him. Using them here would mean forfeiting that advantage. However, Hun Lao knew that if he used Sound Transmission, the old vine would undoubtedly overhear it. Angering this vine might jeopardize their safe departure from this ancient sect's headquarters.
"Heh, young man, are you willing to part with these Formation materials for my sake?" the old vine asked with a faint laugh.
Hun Lao was startled, wondering if the old vine could even read his thoughts.
"Since Senior needs them, it is no trouble to use these materials here. You have far greater need for them than I," Ye Yunfei replied after a moment's thought.
"Good. I am grateful to you, young man. Rest assured, I will not allow you to suffer losses.
Having lived for such a long time, how could I take advantage of a young man?" the old vine said with a laugh.
Hearing this, Hun Lao decided against persuading Ye Yunfei further. This old vine before them had indeed survived for an unimaginably long era. The reward it might offer Ye Yunfei could potentially be astonishing!
"Well then, young man, if you are willing to help, I will now guide you to first carefully comprehend the several Formations and restrictions present on this peak. After that, you can begin the restoration work," the old vine said.
"Understood. I will follow your arrangements, Senior," Ye Yunfei nodded.