bayedsolid Chapter 538 The Soul-Nourishing Grass, which was perfectly fine at noon today, withered completely b
Chapter 538 The Soul-Nourishing Grass, which was perfectly fine at noon today, withered completely b
After dinner, the sky gradually darkened, and stars hung low over the fields.
Shuangyue rose to take her leave.
She solemnly left Ling Shuo a jade talisman engraved with the sect's mark, saying:
"Young friend Ling Shuo, thank you for your hospitality today."
"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can use this talisman to enter the Wuji Sect and find me."
"Ling Shuo thanks the Sect Master!"
Ling Shuo accepted it with a smile.
"Little sister~~ I'll come find you to play again next time!"
"Don't forget about me!"
Jin Xi reluctantly said goodbye to Lan Youyou.
"Yeah!"
Lan Youyou smiled and agreed.
……
Lingyao nuzzled Lingshuo's hand before leaping onto Shuangyue's spirit sword.
Whoosh!
The sword light pierced the sky, and a silver rainbow streaked across the night, carrying the two people and the beast towards the Wuji Sect.
Inside the Zichen Palace, the candlelight flickered dimly, casting an uneasy glow.
As soon as Shuangyue landed, the temple disciples rushed forward, their faces extremely solemn:
"Sect Master, something has happened at Drunken Forest!"
"The Soul-Nourishing Grass was perfectly fine at noon today, but by dusk... it had all withered!"
"what?"
Frosty Moon's heart trembled violently; her fingertips tightened abruptly, piercing her palm.
"anything else?"
"Senior Sister Si Yao, who is in charge of taking care of the medicinal herb field... has also fallen into a coma, and Senior Sister Luo Ge is doing her best to save her!"
Shuangyue strode into the hall.
On the table, the jade box was open, and several withered grasses were curled up and blackened, devoid of any spirit, as if their last bit of life had been drained away.
When was it discovered?
Her voice was low and cold, like ice.
"One hour ago."
"The patrolling disciples noticed the unusual spiritual energy and went in to investigate. They found that all the plants in the garden were withered and rotten at the roots, as if... their spiritual energy had been completely drained by some kind of force."
Shuangyue gently stroked the withered, black grass stems with her fingertips, her brow furrowed.
This was no natural disaster; it was more like... a meticulously planned murder.
Jin Xi stood to the side, her expression solemn:
"Sect Master, could it be... that someone deliberately sabotaged this?"
"Last time, it was that Mu Qing who destroyed the spirit field by breathing fire..."
"This time...it won't be her again, will it?"
Frosty Moon did not answer, but her heart was already in turmoil.
The Soul-Nourishing Grass was the key to awakening the Emperor's divine soul, but now that it has been completely destroyed, the intentions of the person behind it are obvious.
She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the shock in her eyes had turned into a chilling frost, and the oppressive aura of the Wuji Sect Master quietly spread out.
Seeing that she looked unwell, Jin Xi quickly stepped forward and patted his chest, saying:
"Sect Master, don't worry! I...I have a way!"
"I can use my magic to restore these Soul-Nourishing Herbs to life!"
Shuangyue looked down at the expectant light in the boy's eyes, her heart stirred slightly, but she hardened her heart and resolutely refused:
"No need."
"This herb is no ordinary spiritual plant; even if you use a growth-inducing technique, it cannot be restored to its original state!"
She turned and walked out, her clothes fluttering, her tone leaving no room for argument:
"Jin Xi! Come with me to Zui Wan Lin."
The night wind whistles through the woods, its mournful sound like a lament.
When Shuangyue arrived at Zuiwan Forest with Jinxi and Lingyao.
The barrier here has been fully activated, and several disciples of the Enforcement Hall, holding spirit lamps, stood guard at the entrance with pale faces.
The usually spiritually rich and fragrant Drunken Forest was now filled with a nauseating burnt smell.
That was the smell of decaying vegetation after spiritual energy had been depleted.
"Zong...sect leader."
Upon seeing Shuangyue arrive, the leading disciple immediately bowed and greeted her, his voice trembling slightly.
“Except for the few hundred-year-old spiritual herbs in the center of the forest that survived thanks to the spirit-gathering array, the rest… all the other soul-nourishing herbs were destroyed.”
Frosty Moon didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly and stepped into the forest.
The scene before her was even more shocking than she had imagined.
What should have been a lush and verdant medicinal herb field has now become a scorched and desolate wasteland.
Those spiritual herbs that originally contained gentle soul power now looked as if they had been burned by a raging fire, curled up into clumps of black charcoal, and what flowed from the broken roots was not sap, but black water that emitted a fishy stench.
Although the jade basin used to cultivate the Soul-Nourishing Grass was intact, the cold jade soil inside had been completely stolen.
There were over a hundred jade basins!
Jin Xi followed behind Shuang Yue, his handsome face pale, and tightly gripped Ling Yao's raised tail.
Lingyao also sensed the ominousness of the place. Its black scales bristled slightly, and it let out a low whimper.
"how so……"
Jinxi muttered to herself.
"They were perfectly fine when I passed by this morning..."
Shuangyue squatted down and, through her sleeve, picked up a pinch of black ash from the ground with her fingertips.
The ashes were icy to the touch, devoid of any warmth, yet exuding an eerie stillness.
"It wasn't burned."
Frosty Moon's voice was as cold as ice.
"It was 'swallowed'."
She stood up, her gaze sweeping over the ravaged medicinal herb field, a chilling glint in her eyes.
Soul-Nourishing Grass is a sacred substance for nourishing the soul. It can absorb all the essence from the roots, leaving no residue, something that ordinary poisons or flames cannot do.
This requires an extremely insidious method, specifically targeting soul power.
The reason she held this planting competition was to select the best quality Soul-Nourishing Grass from among the many disciples' cultivations to refine Soul-Nourishing Pills and awaken the Emperor, who only had a wisp of his soul left.
now……
Where is Si Yao?
"Frosty Moon asked."
"In the wooden house next door, Senior Sister Luo Ge is administering acupuncture."
The disciple answered.
Shuangyue turned and walked towards the wooden house not far away.
Upon entering, a strong smell of medicine wafted out.
Si Yao lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, her eyes closed, and a faint black aura was faintly visible between her brows.
Luo Ge was sweating profusely as she inserted silver needles into Si Yao's acupoints!
Seeing Shuangyue enter, she shook her head solemnly.
"Sect Master, Junior Sister Si Yao's soul has been severely damaged, as if it was forcibly pulled by an extremely strong suction force."
"If she hadn't bitten her tongue at the last moment to maintain a sliver of consciousness, she would probably have been completely destroyed by now."
Luo Ge put away the silver needles and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a silk handkerchief.
"She is currently in a deep coma, and when she will wake up is up to fate."
Looking at Si Yao, who was lying unconscious on the bed, Shuang Yue felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Si Yao was one of her most trusted inner disciples and also the person in charge of this planting competition.
She is steady and meticulous in her work. Who would have thought that something like this would happen right under her nose?
"Who is it...?"
The question in Shuangyue's mind grew increasingly sharp.
"Don't you want the Emperor to return?"
But who would dare to make a move in the core medicinal field of the Wuji Sect?
Who has such skill to bypass layers of barriers and destroy the entire medicinal field silently?
Names flashed through Shuangyue's mind, but she rejected them one by one.
"Soul-Nourishing Grass Seeds..."
Frostmoon suddenly thought of an even more serious problem.
She turned around abruptly, strode out of the wooden house, and slipped into the secret room where the seeds were stored.
The door to the secret room was intact, and there were no signs of the mechanism being damaged.
Frosty Moon channeled her spiritual power and opened the jade box containing the seeds.
empty.
It was completely empty, without even a speck of dust.
Who... stole my Soul-Nourishing Seed?
And is it so powerful that it can conceal its own aura?
Could it be... just as Jin Xi guessed...?
It was Mu Qing who did it!
……
Frostmoon's heart sank to the bottom.
For this planting competition.
She took out half of the Soul-Nourishing Grass seeds that had been stored in the warehouse for decades and distributed them to the disciples participating in the competition.
At the time, she thought that if this batch of herbs grew well, the Soul Nourishing Pills she refined could fetch a good price.
Now, the grass is destroyed, and the seeds are gone too.
This means that she simply cannot find a replacement in the short term.
Without Soul-Nourishing Grass, Soul-Nourishing Pills cannot be refined, and the Emperor cannot be resurrected.