Soon, Ye Yunfei stepped upon the rainbow bridge and arrived at the summit of the mountain.
Along the way, he could see the entire mountain shrouded in various colorful mists and clouds, with wafts of medicinal fragrance assailing his nostrils, refreshing his heart and lifting his spirits.
At the summit, thick, multicolored fog was everywhere, and there stood a relatively small palace.
"Young human, please come in for a meeting."
An aged voice called out from within the palace.
Without hesitation, Ye Yunfei strode inside.
Inside the palace, an old man with white eyebrows and white hair and a kindly face sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. From his body emanated a rich, multicolored radiance, accompanied by alluring wafts of medicinal fragrance.
"Young man, please sit."
The old man waved his hand, and a meditation cushion appeared before Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei glanced at the old man and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. The elder before him was a member of the Celestial Medicine Clan who had lived an extremely long life! His medicinal value was simply incalculable!
"If I could obtain this Celestial Medicine Clan elder, I would surely be able to refine an extraordinary cauldron of elixir, instantly causing a qualitative leap in my strength. Moreover, it wouldn't leave any hidden flaws in my spiritual foundation," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
However, Ye Yunfei betrayed no expression and sat down cross-legged.
This Celestial Medicine Clan member had lived for an eon and was already ancient and shrewd. Since he dared to invite Ye Yunfei here, he must have made thorough preparations. Trying to capture him now was likely impossible. So, Ye Yunfei dismissed the idea. After all, this was the territory of the Celestial Medicine Clan.
"Why did you seek me out?" Ye Yunfei asked directly.
"Young man, the city gate has twelve Slaughter Formations. Although these twelve arrays have endured for a long age and their formation energy has seriously dissipated, the residual power of the formations should not be underestimated. Yet you were able to completely disregard those twelve Slaughter Formations and enter the city directly. Young man, your skill in formations is remarkable," the old man said aloud.
"Just average," Ye Yunfei replied.
Only now did Ye Yunfei begin to understand. The elder of the Celestial Medicine Clan had probably sought him out because he valued Ye Yunfei's formation mastery.
"Young man, I will speak frankly. Could you help me with a task? Don't worry, there will be a substantial reward," the elder said.
"What task?" Ye Yunfei asked.
"The princess of my clan is trapped within an ancient formation. That ancient formation is extremely powerful. All these years, I have exhausted every method but still failed to rescue her. To save the princess, that ancient formation must be deactivated. Young man, I hope you can help rescue our clan's princess. If you can save her, I will definitely present you with a generous reward," the elder said, looking at Ye Yunfei with hopeful eyes.
"I see," Ye Yunfei said upon hearing this, finally understanding why this Celestial Medicine Clan member had sought him out.
"Where is your clan's princess trapped?" Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and asked.
"The princess is trapped within an area of ancient formations. That region is filled with a multitude of ancient formations. Once, while being mischievous, the princess accidentally wandered into that ancient formation area, inadvertently activating a formation and becoming trapped within it," the elder explained.
"Besides formations, are there any other dangers within that ancient formation area?" Ye Yunfei inquired.
If it were only formations, Ye Yunfei certainly wasn't afraid. For Ye Yunfei, no number of formations could frighten him. But if there were other perils, he would need to consider carefully.
"The most dangerous aspect of that ancient formation area is the multitude of formations spread throughout. A slight misstep could lead to being trapped within one, making escape difficult. Apart from the formations, there aren't any other significant hazards," the elder said.
"If I rescue your clan's princess, what reward can you offer?" Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before speaking aloud.
"These items are what I have prepared. Young man, see if you find them satisfactory."
The elder waved his sleeve, and over a hundred spatial rings flew out, hovering before him.
Once members of the Celestial Medicine Clan gained intelligence, their spiritual thinking was no different from human martial artists, so they also possessed numerous spatial rings for storing items.
Ye Yunfei swept them with his Soul Power and found that these spatial rings contained vast quantities of Dao herbs, ranging from first-grade Dao herbs all the way to ninth-grade! Moreover, the amounts were enormous, piled up like small mountains! Aside from Dao herbs, there was also a portion of Saint herbs — first, second, third, and fourth-grade Saint herbs. There were at least several hundred plants! There were even a few fifth-grade Saint herbs! One could say the combined value of these herbs was staggering.
"I need a batch of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that contain wood-attributed energy. Both the quantity and quality need to be substantial. So, swap these out for that. If I'm satisfied, I can act to save your clan's princess," Ye Yunfei said calmly.
Ye Yunfei understood that the herbs stored in these spatial rings were indeed of high value, but for the Celestial Medicine Clan, they weren't that significant. Because, among herbaceous races, the Celestial Medicine Clan held a status akin to royalty! Furthermore, the Celestial Medicine Clan cultivated all kinds of herbs. Given this opportunity, Ye Yunfei naturally wouldn't be polite. This meager amount of herbs wouldn't be enough to satisfy him!
"Young man, are you confident you can rescue our clan's princess?"
The old man pondered Ye Yunfei's words before asking.
"If it's merely about dismantling formations, I am ninety percent confident," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Ninety percent confidence!"
The old man's spirits visibly lifted upon hearing this.
"Good! Young man, wait a moment."
The old man gritted his teeth, and his figure instantly vanished.
"The Celestial Medicine Clan masters a very unique type of Spatial Laws, capable of easily piercing through the void, flying through the skies and burrowing through the earth, renowned for their divine speed! It truly is so!" Ye Yunfei sensed the elder's movement technique, feeling somewhat astonished.
Indeed, Spatial Laws were divided into many types. The Celestial Medicine Clan innately mastered a special type of Spatial Laws—this was their life-saving talent.
A moment later.
Whoosh!
The old man instantly reappeared sitting on the meditation cushion.
"Young man, if you truly can rescue our clan's princess, this reward is what our clan will give you."
The old man waved his hand, and over a hundred more spatial rings flew out, hovering before Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei directed his Soul Power to perceive the contents of these rings.
Half of the herbs stored within these spatial rings were Dao herbs. The lowest grade among them were fifth-grade Dao herbs. From fifth-grade to ninth-grade, they were piled up like small mountains! The other half were Saint herbs! First to fourth-grade Saint herbs were extremely numerous. There were also nearly a thousand fifth-grade Saint herbs! All these Dao herbs and Saint herbs were brimming with dense wood-attributed energy and Laws. Moreover, besides Dao and Saint herbs, there were also quite a few other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures containing wood-attributed energy and Laws.
Whoosh, whoosh…
Before Ye Yunfei could speak, the old man flicked his fingers, and five jade bottles flew to Ye Yunfei's front.
"This is…" Ye Yunfei was momentarily stunned.
"Young man, if I guess correctly, you must be cultivating some art related to wood-attributed energy. These five jade bottles contain the medicinal essence I secreted each time I underwent a breakthrough and ascended a grade. Each time I break through, I can secrete at most ten drops of medicinal essence, so it is relatively precious. I believe it will be of great help to the technique you are cultivating," the elder explained.
"Medicinal essence secreted by you!"
Ye Yunfei's eyes couldn't help but brighten, a flicker of excitement stirring within him.
This Celestial Medicine Clan elder before him must have lived for an extremely long time; his medicinal potency was equivalent to that of a Demigod herb! The medicinal essence he secreted during each breakthrough was far too precious.
"With these five bottles of medicinal essence, perhaps I truly can cultivate the Greenwood Emperor Body to its perfected realm!" Ye Yunfei thought excitedly.
Not long ago, within the Nine-Headed Blood Earth, Ye Yunfei had obtained a batch of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures containing wood-attributed energy. Now he had obtained even more. Ye Yunfei felt he could attempt to continue cultivating the Greenwood Emperor Body!
"Fine. I agree to rescue your clan's princess. Lead the way. Let's go now," Ye Yunfei said.
"Young man, don't you need to prepare? For instance, refining some Formation Flags, formation platforms, or various formation-breaking tools? Don't worry, over the years, to rescue the princess, I have already gathered many formation materials. If it's not enough, I can gather more. Being well-prepared increases the chances of rescuing the princess," the old man couldn't help but say upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
"Unnecessary. We can go directly to dismantle the formation."
Ye Yunfei shook his head.
"You can rest assured. I said I can rescue your clan's princess, and I definitely can," Ye Yunfei added.
"Alright then. Let us depart now."
The old man reluctantly nodded.
Then.
He waved his hand, releasing a stream of unique Spatial Laws that enveloped both his and Ye Yunfei's bodies.
Then.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The elder and Ye Yunfei vanished simultaneously from the palace.
"Master, it seems the demand for formation masters is just as high as that for alchemists! In the Nine-Headed Blood Earth, that priest begged for your help to repair a formation. Now, this elder of the Celestial Medicine Clan begs you to dismantle a formation to save someone," Hu Miao suddenly transmitted via Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"That's naturally the case. Formation masters, like alchemists, are highly sought after. Within the myriad worlds, many super major factions, in order to arrange a powerful protective great formation for their headquarters that can be passed down through generations—a guardian formation for their religion or clan—often offer astonishing rewards to hire skilled formation masters," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
"Master, then in the future, relying on your identities as an alchemist and a formation master, you can fare quite well," Hu Miao said, laughing.
"No. Ultimately, one's own strength is what's most important. Whether it's alchemy or formations, they are merely auxiliary means. You must remember, only by possessing sufficiently formidable power oneself can one truly stand tall among the myriad worlds!" Ye Yunfei shook his head.
"Understood, Master. I'll remember that," Hu Miao nodded.