Immortal Path in the Palm of a Mortal's Hand

Chapter 21 Encountering a "Friend" in the Herb Garden

The crevice was deep and dark, with the rock walls on both sides almost touching. At its narrowest point, one had to squeeze sideways to pass. Loose stones tumbled and crashed underfoot, the echoes reverberating and reverberating through the narrow crevice, jarring and unsettling. After walking for about half an hour, the space suddenly opened up ahead.

A desolate medicinal herb garden.

Half of the surrounding stone walls remained, most of them collapsed. The medicinal field was cracked, the spiritual soil parched, and the withered roots of the medicinal herbs pointed like charred, brown finger bones toward the dark red sky. The air was filled with the pungent, sweet smell of decay and the unique odor of the spiritual soil.

Chen Fan did not enter. He crouched at the exit of the crevice, his divine sense sweeping over it repeatedly like a net. There were no fluctuations of spiritual energy, no traces of restrictions, and no signs of life. The armored tentacles lightly tapped towards the direction of the herb garden, but there was no warning. After waiting for a while, confirming that there was no danger, he lowered his body and quietly sneaked in.

Although the medicinal herb garden is overgrown, life still exists in its corners.

Beneath the crumbling south wall, two medicinal herbs grow tenaciously. One has sword-like leaves with serrated edges and pale golden veins that shimmer with a faint light—the Golden Sword Grass. Judging by the number and color of its leaves, it is at least seventy or eighty years old. The other creeps along the ground, its round leaves covered in white down, and at the top are three bright red fruits the size of soybeans—the perfect time to harvest these white downy fruits.

Chen Fan took out a jade shovel from his storage bag, squatted down, and first picked the Golden Leaf Sword Grass. He carefully cut the tip of the shovel into the spiritual soil, gently loosening the soil around the roots with practiced skill. Years spent in the Spirit Beast Mountain had honed his herb-gathering techniques to perfection. The roots remained undamaged, and the entire plant, roots and soil, was gently lifted. He took a long, narrow jade box, placed the herb inside, affixed a sealing talisman, and put it back into his bag.

The white velvet fruit has shallow roots and delicate fruit. He gently probed with his jade shovel, lifting the plant along with the soil, then took a square jade box with his other hand, carefully placed it inside, closed the lid, affixed a talisman, and put it away.

Two spiritual herbs, not of the highest grade, but old enough and with perfect medicinal properties. They are worth over two hundred spirit stones when exchanged within the sect.

Chen Fan brushed the dust off his hands, stood up, and turned around…

Two people stood at the exit of the crack.

Both wore yellow robes from the Maple Valley, with distinct maple leaf markings on their chests. One was tall and thin, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. The other was short and stout, with a round face that naturally carried a smile, and slightly upturned corners of his mouth.

Chen Fan's right hand had already quietly pressed onto the hilt of the Golden Flame Spirit-Slaying Blade.

The short, stout cultivator held out his hands, palms facing outwards, his face beaming with a warm smile: "Fellow Daoist, don't be alarmed! Don't be alarmed! We are disciples of Yellow Maple Valley. I am Sun Youfu, and this is my junior brother, Ma San." He gestured towards the tall, thin man, "Since entering this godforsaken place, we haven't seen a single soul, and we've knocked over a bunch of demonic beasts and restrictions, almost losing our lives! We've finally met you, fellow Daoist, and wanted to travel together so we can look after each other!"

The tall, thin Ma San merely nodded slightly, remaining silent as a stone.

Chen Fan glanced at the two men, his hand still on the knife.

Sun Youfu's smile was genuine, not feigned. His hands remained outstretched, his fingers not forming any hand seals. Ma San stood with his hands at his sides, also making no move. The two stood side by side, not forming a pincer attack.

"How do we find travel companions?" Chen Fan asked calmly.

Sun Youfu's eyes lit up: "Fellow Daoist, that's great! This forbidden area is teeming with spiritual herbs. The three of us, with our six eyes, are better than one person blindly stumbling around! Once we gather the herbs, we'll divide them equally among ourselves! If we encounter any demonic beasts, we'll charge them shoulder to shoulder! And if we run into some ignorant fool from another sect..." He chuckled, his round face scrunched up, "Three men can make a tiger, it's better than fighting alone, isn't it?"

His words were perfectly succinct.

Chen Fan loosened the hilt of his sword and nodded: "Alright."

Sun Youfu's smile widened, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "May I ask your esteemed name, fellow Daoist?"

"List."

"Alright! Fellow Daoist Chen!" Sun Youfu stepped forward two steps, naturally turning to Chen Fan's left, maintaining a distance of about ten feet. "We two came from the east. There's a muddy pond over there, with a second-tier armored crocodile coiled up in it. It almost swallowed my junior brother Ma as a snack!" He spoke with lingering fear, shaking his head.

Ma San followed silently, still without saying a word.

The three walked north along the ruins of the herb garden. Sun Youfu led the way, his mouth never stopping: "The spiritual energy in this godforsaken place is so chaotic. It's like sinking into a quagmire when you try to probe out with your divine sense. It's exhausting! Fellow Daoist Chen, which peak of Spirit Beast Mountain are you a disciple of? ... Ugh, the fasting pills issued by the sect are so hard they could break your teeth. They're awful!" Ma Sanzhui brought up the rear, his steps as light as a cat's.

Chen Fan walked in the middle.

Although the divine sense was suppressed to less than twenty feet, it was still clearly visible within that distance.

Sun Youfu's spiritual energy was steady, his breathing was even and long, and his steps were uniform, as if he were traveling normally. However, Ma San's spiritual energy in his dantian would jump almost imperceptibly every few breaths, which was a sign of him silently circulating a magic technique! If Chen Fan's divine sense had not far surpassed that of others of the same level, he would have found it extremely difficult to detect.

And his right hand.

Ma San's right hand hung at his side, his sleeve slightly bulging, concealing something. It wasn't a magical artifact; the spiritual power of a magical artifact was hard to conceal. It was a talisman! Only an unactivated talisman could produce such a faint fluctuation.

Chen Fan did not turn around, his steps as usual. His left hand lightly brushed the edge of his storage bag, and a golden bell talisman was quietly folded and tucked between his fingers.

The journey lasts for the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

Ahead lay a stone forest. The stone pillars were jagged, some over two zhang tall, others only waist-high, densely packed like bamboo shoots. The wind whistled through the crevices, sounding like weeping. Sun Youfu turned back, grinning, "Fellow Daoist Chen, once we pass through this stone forest, we'll be out of this hellhole. Shall we... hurry up?"

"Mm," Chen Fan replied, quickening his pace slightly.

His figure had just passed a waist-high stone pillar...

The spiritual energy behind him suddenly surged!

coming!

Ma San's right hand shot out from his sleeve! Two fireball talismans exploded in mid-air, and six blazing fireballs, arranged in a fan shape, roared towards Chen Fan's back! Fireball talismans are commonly carried by disciples of Huangfeng Valley, and their power is enough to break through the protective spiritual light of a Qi Refining cultivator!

At the same time, Sun Youfu's warm smile instantly froze! His hands clasped together in front of his chest with lightning speed, and a foot-long, sharp-edged cyan wind blade shot out from his palms, aiming straight for Chen Fan's throat! Wind Blade Technique! Not a talisman, but his own magic! This person had been feigning everything from beginning to end!

The two worked together seamlessly! Sun Youfu blocked the path ahead with his wind blade, while Ma San cut off the path behind with his fireball. Their timing was impeccable, precisely at the moment when Chen Fan was caught between the stone pillars and had the most limited space to dodge!

Chen Fan made a move!

With a powerful stomp, his body didn't move forward or backward, but instead shot towards the stone pillar on the left like an arrow! The instant his shoulder struck the pillar, the golden bell talisman between his left fingers was activated with a roar! With a buzzing sound, a layer of solid, pale golden bell-shaped light instantly protected his entire body!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fireballs bombarded the light shield one after another, causing it to flash wildly with golden light and shake violently, but it did not shatter! A cyan wind blade grazed the edge of the light shield and "sizzled" as it cleaved a deep groove in the stone pillar, sending fragments of stone flying!

Using the force of the impact, Chen Fan spun around and was now facing his enemy!

The golden flame-wielding spirit-slaying blade in his right hand was unsheathed fiercely!

On the dark gold blade, flame patterns suddenly lit up under the infusion of magic power, pulsating with golden-red spiritual light! The blade's target was no human! A condensed golden-red blade beam shot out from the blade, tearing through the air and whistling as it slashed towards the ground in front of Ma Sanjiao!

Boom!

The blade struck the ground, shattering rocks and soil, creating a half-foot-deep trench! Ma San instinctively leaped backward, but his foot slipped, and he stumbled!

flaw!

Iron armor shot out from Chen Fan's shoulder! It remained firmly planted on his shoulder, its dark gold shell almost the same color as his Daoist robe, motionless like a stubborn rock. Ma San's mind was entirely focused on his sword; he hadn't paid any attention to this fist-sized spirit insect.

The armored weapon landed precisely on Ma San's right calf! The two sickle-like bone blades on his forelimbs flashed with a cold light, crossing left and right as if scissors were joined!

"Ugh—!" A bloody scream erupted from Ma San's right leg as his muscles tore open. He was struck hard and fell to the side!

Sun Youfu's expression changed drastically! He quickly formed hand seals, and a second cyan wind blade slashed towards the iron armor with a sharp whistle! The iron armor pushed off the ground with all six legs, nimbly dodging the wind blade, which grazed the back armor and added another deep gash to the stone pillar!

How could Chen Fan allow him to make another move? With a flick of his left hand, three talismans shot out! These were no ordinary fireball talismans; they were mid-grade fireball talismans given to him by Manager Zhou of Bailian Hall when he purchased the sword!

Nine blazing white fireballs exploded in the sky! Each one was larger than the one Ma San had launched, the flames turning from orange to white, and the heat was scorching!

Sun Youfu's pupils constricted sharply! He frantically formed hand seals, a layer of pale blue protective aura rising from his body, and desperately retreated! However, nine blazing white fireballs, three on the left, three on the right, and three in the center, blocked all escape routes!

boom! boom! boom!