The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 648 - 368 Hidden Stream_2

In the direction the old oak branches pointed, all plants cleared a path that was just wide enough for three people to walk abreast. This path was covered in green grass, without any densely branched trees like spider webs or any trees daring to block the way. She peered down the path but couldn’t see its end, not knowing what was waiting in the darkness ahead.

Originally, there were no paths in this forest. The Ba Snake Mountain Range was too vast, and Hidden Stream forbade anyone from flying above, so if the old oak hadn’t ordered the trees to make way, they wouldn’t know how long they would have had to walk in this dense forest. Ning Xiaoxian secretly sighed; no wonder Hidden Stream seemed unworried about strong enemies attacking, it turned out tree demons controlled the entire forest, which made it difficult for anyone without the Ironwood Token to enter or exit freely.

After they stepped onto this forest path, their speed of progression suddenly increased manyfold. The existence of this path was temporary, so as they walked, the dense forest behind them closed up again, leaving no trace of the path. Walking on this path, the cold, prying eyes no longer glanced their way. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

After another two hours, they finally reached a gentle valley.

The scenery here was uniquely beautiful. The clear river water flowed from the distant high mountains down to the valley, where it gathered into a tranquil, dazzling lake that looked like a blue sapphire embedded in the green wilderness. The flourishing plants that bloomed on the water surface were — she squinted and took a few more looks, finally confirming they really were sleeping lotuses. It was October now, and autumn in The Great West was quite cold, yet here she saw delicate pink and purple water lilies, some even twin-flowered, with a few pink buds pointing straight to the sky.

In this strange forest, indeed nothing was impossible.

The buildings by the lake, too large for her to ignore. This was a palace made of trees, almost 100 meters tall in the forest, majestic and ancient, without much decoration; she didn’t even know what kind of trees these were, or how a single tree could form a palace, its huge, curved branches serving as natural stairs.

To the left, right, and rear sides of the palace were slightly shorter palatial buildings, equally ancient and awe-inspiring. Though it was already autumn, unknown climbing plants covered the ancient trees’ outer walls, blooming in myriad bright colors, adorning these palaces like beautifully dressed belle.

Just as they set foot in this valley, a large blue bird circling in the sky flew down, landed on the ground, and transformed into a young lady with charming looks but with sharp eyes.

"Miss Qingluan." Fu Yunzhang took a few steps forward and gave a bow, clearly having interacted with her often before.

Qingluan smiled, her gaze sweeping over the people behind him, and when she saw Ning Xiaoxian, she frowned and asked: "Who is this new face?" It seemed she recognized most members of the Immortal Bandits.

"She’s our new Pill Master. This time we’re purchasing a variety of herbs, and since Qing’er was temporarily unavailable, we invited Miss Ning to join us. Miss Ning, this lady is Lord Jiu Mo’s deputy, Miss Qingluan." Fu Yunzhang had already rehearsed his lines, and recited them smoothly, then took out a storage bag, "Please inspect the goods we’ve brought this time."

Hidden Stream was located deep in the mountains where herbal resources were extremely abundant but mineral resources relatively scarce, so out of every ten items Fu Yunzhang brought, four or five were magic artifacts. Qingluan opened the storage bag, used her Divine Thought to inspect the contents, seeming quite satisfied, even a cold smile appeared on her face. "Lord Jiu Mo and Lord Langya are away on business, currently, neither is in the palace. Give me the list of herbs you want this time and I should have them ready by tomorrow."

Fu Yunzhang handed over a piece of paper, breathing a sigh of relief. Hidden Stream was governed by dual leaders, named Jiu Mo and Langya, and Jiu Mo’s personality being particularly stubborn was hard to deal with; his absence was a relief. Qingluan seemed to discern his thoughts, the corners of her mouth curving slightly as she took the list, furrowing her eyebrows: "This time you need such a large quantity of herbs?"

"Indeed. Miss Qingluan, you might also have heard, plagues are emerging everywhere, now slowly spreading westward, several herbs on this list are for preparing antidotes."

"I’ve heard of it." She responded indifferently, "It’s not any rare medicine, preparing it before tomorrow morning is no problem. Oh, you also need Snake Flame Grass, and a six hundred-year-old one at that?"

As it concerns Changtian’s True Body, Ning Xiaoxian stepped forward: "I need Snake Flame Grass to prepare medicine, and this herb has to be used within three hours of picking, thus, I’d like to go with the Daoist who is collecting the herbs."

Qingluan scrutinized her from head to toe, her interest piqued when she saw Qi Zai on her arm, studied for a few moments before saying: "No. Snake Flame Grass grows in the Forbidden Land, and no one from Hidden Stream is allowed to enter. I’ll pick the herb myself for you. From here to the Forbidden Land, a three-hour round trip is enough. Now, Mr. Fu, please take your people and go rest in the house."

The valley seemed tranquil and serene, apart from occasional birds flying overhead, no other demons were visible. But Changtian had already told her, although it looked sparse, countless eyes might be watching; it was not wise to act recklessly.

Hidden Stream disliked outsiders treating their stronghold as a tourist spot. Although the Immortal Bandits stayed here for about a day each time they came for a transaction, they hardly ever roamed around. In such a mysterious Demon Sect, wandering around without the host’s permission was something only someone with a brain malfunction would do.

Qingluan clapped her hands twice and sure enough, a man flashed out from the dense forest, first respectfully bowing to her before saying to everyone: "Please follow me."

"Wow, this place really is full of hidden experts. Even a little monster guiding the way has the cultivation of the Great Success Stage." She whispered to Changtian, who gave a small smile: "In Ancient Times, those leading the way here would at least be demons of the Returning to Void Stage or above."

She stuck out her tongue, keeping silent thereafter. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast a recommendation vote or a monthly vote at qidian.com; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)