Chapter Ten: The Five-Petaled Yao Blossom

At dawn, the Underworld Beast Mountain Range was enveloped in a profound silence. Dewdrops on the myriad exotic flowers and herbs refracted the sunlight, creating an enchanting spectacle. Beneath a cluster of towering trees, a high slope gave way to a man-sized cavern below. Jiang Feng emerged from it, yawning.

“It’s already the third day, and I haven’t encountered a single mid-tier first-stage underworld beast. Even the low-tier ones are growing scarce, as if they’ve vanished into thin air.” He picked up the drumstick he’d saved from the previous day and tore into it hungrily.

“Time to delve deeper.” Tossing aside the bone, Jiang Feng moved through the forest with the agility of a monkey, weaving between the trees.

He hadn’t gone far when he stopped abruptly, eyes wide with shock.

Before him lay an expansive meadow, carpeted with a single rare herb. Each stem was slender, bearing four broad leaves.

It was the elusive Four-leaf Orchid.

Currently, every stalk of Four-leaf Orchid fetched a gold coin on the market. Here, an endless sea of them stretched out—at least tens of thousands in number!

Yet what truly astounded Jiang Feng was the swarm of underworld beasts gathered around the Four-leaf Orchids—no fewer than a hundred, upon careful count!

“Unicorn Iron-haired Boar, Ghost Rabbit, and even the mid-tier first-stage beast Iron-thread Python, plus the high-tier first-stage beast Bronze-armed Ape!” Jiang Feng drew a sharp breath. No wonder the beasts had disappeared from the rest of the mountain—they had all converged here.

A high-tier first-stage beast was nearly equal to an Underworld Warrior. Even with his Shadow Dance Soul-shattering Step as a safeguard, Jiang Feng dared not make any rash moves.

“What’s that?” Following the beasts’ gaze, Jiang Feng saw that they were all fixated on a single spot—the very heart of the Four-leaf Orchid field.

“The Five-leaf Yao Flower!”

Jiang Feng was stunned. The sheer abundance of Four-leaf Orchids was already incredible, but within them, a Five-leaf Yao Flower had blossomed.

The Five-leaf Yao Flower—a second-grade herb imbued with mystical energy—could enhance the meridians and even raise the success rate of an Underworld Martial Artist at the ninth stage forming an underworld force seed to ninety percent!

On the black market, a single Five-leaf Yao Flower would fetch at least fifty thousand gold coins—a rare treasure for cultivation.

“Fortune smiles upon me.” Jiang Feng licked his lips. Ever since discovering that the Blood Prison Killing Realm could absorb the energy of external treasures to augment himself, he was no longer content with merely strengthening one arm. With his growing mastery of the Shadow Dance Soul-shattering Step, he could gradually control his movement timing and position.

Just yesterday, Jiang Feng had entirely evaded that streak of blood light!

Before the blood-hued figure emerged, if he moved swiftly and relied on his skilled footwork, he could even decide which part of his body would be struck. Thus, he could deliberately strengthen whichever part he pleased.

The prerequisite was, of course, treasures containing underworld force, such as the Three-segment Pearl.

Though he wasn’t certain whether the Blood Prison Killing Realm could absorb all objects containing energy, it was worth a try.

“The Five-leaf Yao Flower—heaven’s blessing. Now, I need a way to obtain it.” Jiang Feng hid stealthily among the trees, pondering his options.

“At present, handling a mid-tier first-stage beast is already my limit. Facing a high-tier beast head-on is hopeless. One-on-one, I might escape with my life. But here, among this massive horde, I must not act recklessly.”

“Hm?” Jiang Feng’s gaze sharpened. A subtle disturbance among the Four-leaf Orchids caught his attention.

“It’s the Green-thread Worm! Damn—” Jiang Feng’s face paled.

The Green-thread Worm, a low-tier first-stage beast, was small in size and fed on the corpses of decaying underworld beasts. He hadn’t expected it to covet the Five-leaf Yao Flower as well.

Yet it made sense—a spiritual flower like the Five-leaf Yao Flower would elevate its energy, potentially evolving it into a Black-thread Worm.

“Now or never!” Jiang Feng watched as the Green-thread Worm edged closer to the root of the Five-leaf Yao Flower, right under the noses of the other beasts. His legs crouched, muscles tensing with a creak, left hand gripping a nearby tree as he prepared to charge into the beast horde.

Just as Jiang Feng was about to launch himself, a piercing cry rang out—a strange bird suddenly soared from the beast crowd. Its eyes were hawk-like, wings a gleaming blue, talons dark and razor-sharp.

“A change of events.” Jiang Feng relaxed slightly. “Green-thread Worm’s nemesis, the Blue-winged Black Hawk—a mid-tier first-stage beast.”

The Blue-winged Black Hawk screeched, swooping swiftly over the Four-leaf Orchids. Its powerful wings sliced through the herbs, sending shredded leaves flying. Before the Green-thread Worm could reach the Five-leaf Yao Flower’s root, the hawk snatched it in a single gulp.

After devouring the worm, the hawk darted straight for the Five-leaf Yao Flower. Suddenly, a shadow lashed out from the side, striking the hawk so hard it was sent flying dozens of yards, crashing through thick branches.

“The Iron-thread Python.” Jiang Feng’s eyes gleamed. Clearly, all these beasts were vying for the Five-leaf Yao Flower, but none dared make a reckless move—until the Green-thread Worm triggered chaos.

The black shadow that flung the hawk was the python’s tail, capable of shattering solid rock.

A low, rumbling roar echoed. The python’s tail, poised to seize the Five-leaf Yao Flower, was suddenly caught by a crimson claw. The python’s skin, impervious to ordinary weapons, was pierced by five sharp talons, blood streaming forth.

The Bronze-armed Ape!

With two of the most formidable beasts locked in battle, the rest of the horde surged in frenzy toward the Five-leaf Yao Flower.

But a shadow flashed by, and the stampeding, snarling beasts abruptly froze, eyes wide with incredulity.

The Five-leaf Yao Flower was gone!

Hundreds of beasts howled in rage, their roars shaking the surrounding forest. Nearby, underworld beast hunting bands were terrified and dared not venture further.

That shadow had been Jiang Feng. Amidst the chaos, he had accurately gauged his distance to the Five-leaf Yao Flower, used consecutive Shadow Dance Soul-shattering Steps, snatched the flower, and vanished back into the beast horde with two more instant steps.

By the time the beasts realized what had happened, Jiang Feng had already fled at breakneck speed.

“Damn, using the Shadow Dance Soul-shattering Step in such quick succession left me dizzy after only five times—I need to rest somewhere.” Stumbling, Jiang Feng dared not pause for even a moment, for a horde of enraged monsters was at his heels.

He ran for a full hour before stopping, gasping for air.

“This should be close to the mountain’s edge. They won’t follow me any further, right?”

Jiang Feng pulled the Five-leaf Yao Flower from his breast. The entire flower was orange-yellow, five crystalline leaves hanging from its stem, topped by a tiny, alluring blossom.

This Five-leaf Yao Flower was a mutated variety of the Four-leaf Orchid. The Four-leaf Orchid was naturally flowerless, but when it grew a fifth leaf, it miraculously bloomed. As the leaves increased, so did the size of the flower.

Legend had it that the most miraculous was the Nine-leaf Yao Flower, which could revive the dead and restore bones to life—worth a million gold coins and still unattainable.

A thunderous rumbling erupted.

“Not good, the horde is after me again—they must be able to sense the flower’s presence.” Jiang Feng quickly stashed it away.

After another frantic run, the town of Nine Rocks at the foot of the mountain appeared in the distance. An idea struck Jiang Feng, and a sly smile curled his lips.

“I remember—the Wang family’s herb garden is right there.” Jiang Feng swiftly changed direction, racing toward the black stone wall nearby.

“What’s that sound?” Within the black stone wall, a cluster of grass huts surrounded several vast herb fields. In one hut, a herb caretaker cautiously poured Four-leaf Orchid powder into a bottle, but suddenly felt the earth tremble and rushed outside.

“What’s happening?” A crowd had already gathered outside—caretakers and the family’s elite guards.

“Is it an earthquake?” The tremors grew stronger, and panic spread among the caretakers, who speculated wildly.

“Don’t panic, everyone return to your huts and leave it to us.” Fully armed underworld martial artists quickly assembled, showing the Wang family’s well-trained discipline.

Yet that discipline only lasted during assembly. Once they crossed the wall, every single person was struck dumb.