Amidst the vast mountainous terrain, the Elder of the Celestial Medicine Clan continuously traversed the void with Ye Yunfei, flickering in and out of sight, their advance swift as a fleeting shadow.
"This Elder's ability to navigate through space is truly one-of-a-kind; even I feel a twinge of inferiority in comparison!" Ye Yunfei thought to himself, marveling as he allowed the Elder to ferry him through the spatial currents.
At the same time, at the mountainside before the herb garden, a large group of warriors had gathered, their eyes fixed upon the herbs within.
"Seventh-Grade Dao herbs, Eighth-Grade Dao herbs, Ninth-Grade Dao herbs... My heavens, the herbs in this garden are too precious!"
"What do these Dao herbs matter? The most valuable things in this garden are those Demigod herbs, but it's a shame—Ye Yunfei snatched them all away!"
"Thirteen Demigod herbs! Each one is a priceless treasure, and yet they've all fallen into Ye Yunfei's hands. Unbelievable!" The gazes of these warriors were filled with naked greed.
"Everyone," Wu Kun spoke clearly, "now that we know those Demigod herbs are in Ye Yunfei's possession, we absolutely cannot let this rest. We must find a way to seize them back."
"Indeed! A full thirteen Demigod herbs! We cannot allow Ye Yunfei to swallow them whole!"
"Agreed! Let us join forces to deal with Ye Yunfei!"
"Hmph! Even if we can't seize those Demigod herbs here in the Divine Fall Land, after we leave, we will certainly report it to the high-ranking members of our clans. At that time, we'll see if Ye Yunfei has the power to keep them safe!"
...
At Wu Kun's words, the other warriors shouted one after another. The Demigod herbs were far too precious; how could they bear to let Ye Yunfei monopolize all thirteen?
"However, for now, let's focus on plundering the herbs in the garden before us," a warrior suddenly suggested.
"Right! We can't miss these high-grade Dao herbs! Let's move!" Immediately, warriors activated their movement techniques, charging toward the herb garden ahead.
"Attack!" The others, not wanting to fall behind, surged toward the garden in a swarm.
*Buzz…*
A brilliant curtain of seven-colored light rose from within the herb garden, enveloping the entire area.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
The warriors leading the charge slammed into this light barrier and were violently repelled, thrown backwards one after another.
"It's a formation!"
"Damnit, another formation!" The other warriors, witnessing this, came to a halt.
In truth, this seven-colored curtain was not a man-made formation. Instead, it was energy released by Celestial Medicine Clan experts lying concealed within the void. While the clan was not skilled in formations, they possessed several innate self-preservation talents. This curtain was conjured jointly by over a dozen Celestial Medicine Clan experts, forming a sturdy layer of energy defense of considerable power.
"Enough talk! Let's break the formation together!" a warrior yelled.
"Yes, combine our strength to break it!" the others agreed.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Thus, attacks poured forth continuously, bombarding the seven-colored light screen. Immediately, the surrounding space began to shake and tremble.
"Use Innate Treasures!" a Soul Formation Realm late-stage expert roared.
*Boom!*
An Innate Treasure shot up from his body, instantly activating.
Immediately after...
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
One Innate Treasure after another was activated and sent smashing toward the light screen ahead. This time, many major factions had allowed their disciples to bring Innate Treasures into the Divine Fall Land, believing that both Demigod herbs and the Heavenly Dao Tower were hidden within and thus had come prepared.
"These humans' assault is too fierce! Call for reinforcements immediately!" Feeling the pressure, the Celestial Medicine Clan experts hidden in the void sent out frantic sound transmissions. Soon, more clan members arrived to reinforce the defense.
At that moment...
"Young man, we've arrived. The area ahead is the Ancient Formation Zone," the Elder of the Celestial Medicine Clan suddenly stopped and pointed toward a stretch of mountains ahead.
Ye Yunfei looked over. Within that mountainous area, there were many ruined structures: pavilions, towers, palaces—everything that could be seen. It was clear these buildings had once been grand and magnificent, but now many had collapsed, reduced to desolate, broken ruins.
"This place... it looks like it was the headquarters of a sect," Ye Yunfei observed after a glance.
"This area was indeed once the headquarters of a human power in ancient times. Later, no one knows what sudden disaster struck, but this power was annihilated overnight, leaving behind these ruins. Only numerous ancient formations remained scattered about," the Elder explained.
"Viewed from the outside, these ruins appear harmless, but the interior is filled with all kinds of ancient formations of terrifying power. Although I have entered and left this area many times, each time I proceeded with extreme caution, step by step. On several occasions, I nearly got trapped by the formations. It was perilous indeed," the Elder said with a grave tone, casting a wary eye at the ruin-strewn mountains ahead.
"Indeed, this area is brimming with fluctuating formation energy. There truly are many formations here," Ye Yunfei agreed after scanning the area.
"Let's go take a look," Ye Yunfei nodded and strode toward the mountainous region.
Simultaneously, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power, extending his perception toward the mountains. Soon, one formation after another appeared within his spiritual sense. Ye Yunfei swiftly began analyzing and studying them.
"Oh? The residual formations in this area are quite remarkable! While their power has severely waned over time, probably less than one percent of their original might remains, the ones who set these formations back then must have been a true master." Ye Yunfei felt a flicker of surprise. Those whom Ye Yunfei regarded as true masters of the formation path were exceedingly few in the world, which highlighted just how high-grade these ancient formations were. Of course, this was relative. No matter how brilliant the formation master, they counted for little in Ye Yunfei's eyes. Even at their peak, these formations couldn't have trapped him, let alone in their current, millennia-diminished state.
In just moments, Ye Yunfei had entered the mountains. Inside, peaks of varying heights rose and fell densely across the area, each dotted with dilapidated ruins. Ye Yunfei continued to probe his surroundings with Soul Power, perceiving the nearby formations with utter clarity.
The Elder of the Celestial Medicine Clan carefully followed a few steps behind Ye Yunfei, matching his pace precisely, fearing that a single misstep might trigger a formation.
"Be careful, young man! It seems there's a formation in this spot! I was nearly trapped here last time! You must stop!" Suddenly, the Elder halted, his face full of dread as he yelled loudly.
"You mean this formation?" Ye Yunfei responded, striding forward without hesitation. He extended his palm and slapped out.
*Rumble…*
A formation manifested, precisely enveloping Ye Yunfei.
"No! Young man, you're trapped in a formation!" The Elder turned pale with fright.
"It's over. Young man, I was counting on you to rescue our clan's princess. I never imagined you'd be caught in a formation as well. Alas, I have doomed you by bringing you here," the Elder sighed, looking at Ye Yunfei standing within the formation's light with a tone of utter despair. Ye Yunfei's arrival had given him hope of saving his princess; now, he felt that hope crumbling. Having entered and left this Ancient Formation Zone many times, he knew all too well how treacherous its formations could be.
"A mere broken formation? This can't trap me," Ye Yunfei chuckled.
As his words fell...
*Pop!*
Ye Yunfei reached out again, giving a light pat. The formation burst apart with a crisp sound, dissolving into motes of formation energy that vanished entirely into the air. Ye Yunfei had not destroyed the formation but merely deactivated it, returning it to a dormant state.
"Alright, let's keep moving forward," Ye Yunfei said, lifting his foot to continue onward.
"That's it? He just... broke it like that?" The Elder of the Celestial Medicine Clan was utterly dumbfounded. He stood there, staring dumbly at the spot where the formation had shattered, completely unable to believe what he had just witnessed.