Chapter 65: Sacred Mountains and Primordial Herbs I
The Empress continued her secret journey eastward. She left the Central Ruins behind with their ancient scars and gathered treasures safely stored in her ring. She travelled once again as a simple wandering cultivator. Her presence remained carefully suppressed. Her silver white hair stayed concealed beneath the plain gray hood that shadowed her face. The road ahead led toward the legendary sacred mountains of the eastern region. These towering peaks were said to pierce the heavens themselves. They were shrouded in perpetual spiritual mists that hid countless secrets.
The journey through the eastern territories took nearly two weeks. She avoided major orthodox strongholds and well patrolled roads with practiced skill. She moved through dense ancient forests where sunlight struggled to reach the forest floor. The trees here grew impossibly tall. Their trunks were covered in glowing runes left by long forgotten cultivators. The air carried a rich earthy scent mixed with the faint sweetness of spiritual herbs growing in hidden clearings. Birds with iridescent feathers called warnings from the canopy whenever she passed beneath them. Small spirit beasts scattered into the underbrush sensing the hidden power beneath her disguise.
As she drew closer to the sacred mountains the atmosphere began to change. The air grew noticeably thicker with dense spiritual energy. It pressed gently against her skin like warm silk. Distant peaks rose on the horizon. Their snow-capped summits disappeared into swirling mists that glowed with soft rainbow hues at dawn and dusk. The land itself felt alive. Ancient formations flickered faintly in the mist like half remembered dreams. These protective arrays had been laid down by powerful sects and natural forces over thousands of years. They guarded the rare primordial herbs that grew only in this sacred region.
The Empress reached the outer foothills after careful travel. She paused at the edge of the tree line. Her crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the hood as she took in the majestic sight before her. Towering mountains stretched endlessly into the distance. Layer upon layer of peaks disappeared into the clouds. Waterfalls cascaded down sheer cliffs. Their roar echoed through the valleys like constant thunder. The spiritual energy here was so concentrated that faint luminous threads could be seen drifting on the wind. Rare flowers bloomed along mountain paths. Their petals shimmered with inner light.
She stepped into the mountains proper. The path immediately grew steeper and more treacherous. Narrow trails wound between massive boulders covered in glowing moss. The mists thickened around her. They carried the pure scent of primordial herbs and the faint metallic tang of powerful spirit beasts. Dangerous creatures roamed these forests freely. Golden eyed tigers with striped coats that shimmered like liquid metal prowled the lower slopes. Thunderbirds nested on high cliffs. Their wings crackled with lightning when they took flight. Ancient vine serpents lurked in the undergrowth. Their bodies blended perfectly with hanging vines until they struck.
The Empress moved silently through this paradise of danger. She employed Void Step to glide between shadows. Her footsteps left almost no trace on the moss-covered ground. When a pack of golden eyed tigers caught her scent and attacked, she remained calm. The beasts leaped from the underbrush with powerful grace. Their eyes glowed with predatory intelligence. The lead tiger roared and swiped with claws that could shred steel.
The Empress raised one hand. A wave of black purple void mists erupted from her palm. The mists swirled around the pack like living smoke. The tigers snarled and tried to retreat but the energy drained their life force with terrifying speed. Their powerful muscles withered. Their golden eyes dimmed. Within seconds they collapsed as nothing more than dried husks on the forest floor. The void mists returned to her hand carrying the stolen vitality. She absorbed it quietly and continued onward without breaking stride.
Deeper into the mountains the challenges increased. Hidden arrays activated when she approached certain valleys. Glowing runes flared to life attempting to trap or kill intruders. She navigated them with effortless grace. Her superior understanding of formations allowed her to find the weak points and slip through unharmed. In one narrow pass a defensive array summoned illusory beasts that charged with realistic ferocity. The Empress dispersed them with a single palm strike infused with void energy. The illusions shattered like glass and faded into the mist.
The atmosphere grew more sacred the higher she climbed. Ancient trees with trunks wider than houses formed natural pillared halls. Their leaves shimmered with concentrated spiritual energy. Primordial herbs grew in protected clearings. Some glowed with soft golden light. Others pulsed with deep blue energy. The Empress collected only the rarest specimens. She stored them carefully in special containers within her ring. These herbs would fuel advanced pill refinement back at the Sky Palace. They would accelerate the cultivation of her core disciples during the long seclusion.
Nights in the sacred mountains carried their own profound beauty and danger. She camped in small sheltered caves where natural spirit veins ran close to the surface. The stars above seemed closer here. They shone with unusual brilliance through breaks in the mist. Distant roars of powerful spirit beasts echoed through the valleys. She remained undisturbed. Her suppressed presence and careful choice of locations kept her hidden from the strongest creatures.
One evening she reached a high plateau where a particularly valuable primordial herb grew. The plant stood alone in a small clearing. Its leaves shimmered with seven different colors. Protective formations surrounded it. The Empress studied the array carefully. She dismantled the outer layers with precise strikes of void energy. When the final barrier fell, she harvested the herb with reverent care. Its stem carried pure primordial essence that would strengthen void based cultivation techniques significantly.
The sacred mountains tested her at every turn. Yet with each challenge overcome the Empress felt the foundations of her clan future growing stronger. The resources gathered here would elevate her people far beyond their current limits. The seclusion continued back at the Sky Palace. Here in the eastern peaks the Void Empress moved like a shadow among legends. She gathered the treasures that would one day shake the continent.
The journey continued deeper into the range. The mists grew thicker. The spiritual energy grew denser. Greater rewards and greater dangers awaited ahead. The Empress pressed forward with calm determination. Her silver white hair remained hidden. Her true power stayed concealed. Yet every step brought her closer to completing the preparations for the new era she envisioned.
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The deeper regions of the sacred mountains carried an even more profound and mystical atmosphere. Ancient trees with trunks as wide as buildings formed natural archways. Their leaves shimmered with concentrated spiritual energy that filtered sunlight into soft rainbow patterns on the forest floor. The air itself felt alive. It hummed with dense primordial power that pressed gently yet insistently against the skin. Hidden valleys lay concealed behind layers of illusion and natural formations. Only those with keen senses and superior cultivation could hope to find them.
The Empress moved through this paradise of danger and wonder with quiet confidence. Her gray robes blended with the shifting mists. Her presence remained perfectly suppressed. She sensed a particularly strong fluctuation of spiritual energy ahead. A hidden valley protected by an ancient illusion array called to her. The array shimmered faintly at the edge of her perception. Complex runes twisted through the air like invisible threads. They created the illusion of an impenetrable cliff face.
She approached the barrier calmly. She studied the formation for several moments. Her crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the hood. With precise control she channelled thin streams of void energy from her fingertips. The black purple mists seeped into the array at key weak points. The illusion flickered. Runes sparked and dissolved one by one. The ancient formation resisted at first. It flared with defensive light. Yet her superior understanding and power dismantled it layer by layer. The cliff face illusion shattered like glass. A lush hidden valley revealed itself behind the barrier.
The Empress stepped into the paradise. The atmosphere inside the valley felt several times richer than the surrounding mountains. Spiritual energy flowed visibly in gentle currents. It nourished every plant and stone. The ground was covered in soft glowing moss. Colourful flowers bloomed in abundance. At the center of the valley lay a garden of primordial herbs that had grown undisturbed for centuries. Their leaves and petals shimmered with inner light. The air carried sweet medicinal fragrances that invigorated the body and mind.
She moved through the garden with reverent care. She harvested the herbs personally using her void techniques. Gentle waves of black purple energy wrapped around each plant. They coaxed the roots free without damaging their delicate spiritual structures. She worked methodically. First, she gathered common but still valuable spirit grasses. Then she moved to rarer specimens. Each herb received an immediate infusion of her personal void energy on the spot. The process enhanced their potency dramatically. Leaves grew brighter. Stems strengthened. The medicinal properties deepened as void essence merged with their natural primordial qualities.
One particularly valuable plant caught her attention. The Primordial Spirit Lotus grew beside a small crystal-clear spring. Its petals glowed with soft multi-coloured light. The Empress knelt before it. She extended her hand and channelled refined void energy into the lotus. The flower responded beautifully. It glowed brighter under her touch. Its leaves shimmered with newly integrated void enhanced properties. The lotus would now serve as a perfect catalyst for advanced cultivation pills. It would help core disciples break through bottlenecks during the long seclusion.
As she reached for a rare Void Bloom Flower growing in a shaded corner a powerful guardian spirit manifested. A thunderbird with crackling wings of lightning descended from the mists above. Its eyes burned with protective fury. The spirit let out a piercing cry that shook the valley. Bolts of lightning arced toward the Empress.
She countered instantly. A condensed void sphere formed in her palm. She hurled it toward the thunderbird with precise force. The sphere expanded mid-flight. It engulfed the guardian spirit in swirling black purple mists. The thunderbird screeched and struggled. Its lightning essence drained rapidly into the void energy. The Empress absorbed the stolen lightning into her own techniques. It strengthened her understanding of thunder-based attacks and enhanced her void mists with new crackling properties. The guardian spirit weakened quickly. It dissolved into dissipating sparks after one final defiant cry.
The valley felt peaceful once more. As the Empress continued her harvest without interruption. By the end of the day her storage ring brimmed with enhanced primordial herbs. Each specimen carried her personal void infusion. They would significantly boost the clan cultivation resources upon her return. Rare healing flowers. Potent energy grasses. Ancient fruits that could temper the body and expand meridians. The valley had yielded its treasures generously.
She stood at the center of the hidden garden as the sun began to set. Golden light filtered through the mists and painted the valley in warm hues. The Empress allowed herself a moment of quiet satisfaction. The sacred mountains continued to offer bountiful rewards. Each discovery brought her closer to completing the preparations for the clan future.
End of Chapter 65