"My Lords, can you spare us now?" Youyou had already lost her essence and looked completely wilted, but still forced herself to beg.
"Brother Junting, look at them," Ning Tian said with rare disgust.
Chen Junting looked at the defeated Aromatic Silk Beauty's pitiful begging posture and let out a cold snort. "So arrogant before, so humble now. Pathetic."
Once the immortal herb beasts lost control of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes, they stood no chance against the eight Supreme Elders, especially under the boost of the Sect Master. Liehuo Apricot Tree, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, and Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum had their spirits shattered. The heart of the Aromatic Silk Beauty was taken by Yang Zihan. Only Eight-Angled Mysterious Ice Grass, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, and Qiluo Tulip were spared.
"Xiao Chen."
"Aunt Yang."
Chen Junting stepped up as Yang Zihan carefully stored the remains of the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum into a soul tool, then handed it to him.
"This is Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, a neutral immortal herb. It promotes blood circulation, strengthens the body, and brings no harm. Once the Golden Bone Immortal Spirit's effects are absorbed, you can take this. It can also grant you a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone."
"Thank you, Aunt Yang."
Chen Junting accepted it, and once Yang Zihan turned away, discreetly searched the stamens for any leftover essence. As expected, he found some.
Elsewhere, Ning Bowen and the elders handled the remains of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and Fiery Apricot Tree.
"What's this?" Ning Bowen held up a bead-sized crystal with a phoenix engraving—a drop of essence.
"That's Kui Kui's essence," the Aromatic Silk Beauty murmured weakly. "It's not strong yet, but it can purify flame attributes."
Ning Bowen's eyes gleamed. "So, not every immortal herb has essence?"
"Only those over a hundred-thousand years form essence to help survive tribulation."
Hearing that, the three remaining herbs were angry at Youyou for being so spineless but dared not speak.
Ning Bowen gave the sunflower essence to Elder Wu Yan, who also extracted the Fiery Apricot's essence—a fiery red gel called Chijiao. It was stored in a soul-sealing tool and set aside for Wu Feng's use.
"Now, your turn," he said to the surviving herbs.
"We'll give you our essence," said the Eight-Angled Mysterious Ice Grass. The three handed over their essence and became listless.
"We never intended to kill anyone. We just defended ourselves."
Ning Bowen nodded thoughtfully. "Then let's go back to the original terms. If we pass the test, what do we get?"
The herbs perked up. "Seven immortal herbs."
Yang Zihan was tasked with selecting five herbs for the Supreme Elders: two Star Net Spirit Bamboos, Demon Jade Divine Pearl, Huanming Flower, and Water Immortal Rain Bone Mushroom.
When she hesitated on the sixth...
"Pick the Snow Swan Kiss," said Chen Junting, handing Elder Taiyu a golden bead. "His ape-type martial spirit fits Qirong's essence. And he gave us the map, so we owe him."
"You're right," Yang Zihan smiled and passed him the Snow Swan Kiss. "Warn him: this boosts toxicity a thousandfold. Don't let him use it until his soul bone can handle it."
"Understood, Aunt Yang."
The immortal herbs urged them. "Aren't you taking the last one?"
"Yes," said Ning Bowen, eyeing the Qiluo Tulip.
"You're not letting me go?" it cried.
He summoned two Seven Treasures Glazed Towers. "Your previous essence was only enough for one person to reach Nine Treasures. I need more."
"Wait!" cried the Eight-Petal Orchid. "Mine can get you to Eight Treasures. Please let him go."
Ning Bowen didn't flinch.
Qiluo Tulip hesitated, then squeezed out a second essence, much smaller, dimming itself in the process. It now had only a 30% chance to survive heavenly tribulation.
"This should be enough."
Ning Bowen accepted and gave a final command. "We'll keep our word."
He plucked a plant of Wangchuan Autumn Water Dew, then turned and left without another glance.
Behind him, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes were filled with sorrow and angry shouts—especially at Youyou.
"YOUYOU!!!"
----
Night fell, covering the entire Sunset Forest.
Several figures burst out of the miasma, breaking the silence. They flew through the air until a soft pink barrier faded around them, then landed in an open clearing.
It was the group from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.
Relying on the power of the Aromatic Silk Beauty's core, they had left the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire directly, bypassing the poison formation and mist layers.
"Master, are we really just leaving like this?" Taiyu, blunt as ever, couldn't hold back his question. He couldn't understand why, after beating those immortal herb beasts so decisively, they didn't wipe them out completely.
"Yes, just like that." Ning Bowen didn't elaborate much. He simply said with meaning, "Some things… it's not about the monk's face, but the Buddha's. If we go too far, and the heavens intervene, that would be a bigger problem."
The elders were puzzled. Heaven?
Only Chen Junting's eyes sharpened. Did the clan leader discover something?
Ning Bowen didn't notice the boy's look. Seeing everyone a little unsatisfied, he smirked, eyes flashing slyly. "Come on, we've already made a killing. Why the long faces? Besides, no one said the test can only happen once. Who says we can't go back in ten or twenty years?"
The group brightened instantly. That old fox… brilliant. Even among many potential heirs, only he could lead the sect.
"Right now, focus on absorbing your paired immortal herbs. Once you finish your breakthroughs, the sect's strength will skyrocket."
"Understood!" The six supreme elders responded at once, full of anticipation. Some had been stuck at bottlenecks for decades.
Wu Yan smiled. "In that case, I'll guard you during retreat."
"Third brother, you're not taking yours?" Zhiyong raised a brow. He knew Wu Yan had the hottest temper and deepest desire for progress.
"My immortal herb is different," Wu Yan said softly. "I'm saving it until Xiao Feng can absorb a 100,000-year spirit ring. I've been at level 95 for decades already. What's twenty more years?"
"You really love your granddaughter." Zhiyong and Bai Sheng both looked at him with a bit of envy. Aside from Ye Xuanji, only Wu Yan had descendants.
Wu Yan laughed heartily.
Meanwhile, Chen Junting stepped aside with Ning Bowen. "Uncle Ning."
"Hm? What's up?"
"I was thinking… if Xiaotian takes the Aromatic Silk Beauty's essence and his spirit becomes the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower… won't that give away the source of the immortal herb?"
Ning Bowen raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Worried about Shrek, are you?"
Junting said nothing—but that was exactly it. If Shrek knew the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had revived the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower, they might suspect the truth behind Ma Xiaotao's phoenix problem. After all, the Shrek Seven Devils' legacy still loomed large.
"This isn't something you need to worry about," Ning Bowen said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Your job is to train, grow strong, and study formations. Let the sect handle the politics. What do you think we're here for—just to feed and train you?"
Junting immediately understood. So… the sect had already planned ahead.
"I didn't mean to overstep."
"You're a good kid." Ning Bowen smiled, then gathered everyone and laid out the next steps.
First, they would announce to the continent that the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect obtained the Aromatic Silk Beauty from an anonymous source, allowing their young master to evolve his martial spirit into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower.
Better to be open than secretive. Someone was bound to notice eventually, and this way, they controlled the narrative.
Second, Wu Yan would give Wu Feng the fiery glue essence from the Fiery Apricot, to be taken in stages—one portion per ten levels. That way, her martial soul wouldn't awaken as Ultimate Fire too early and raise suspicions.
Fortunately, Junting's martial soul hadn't fully evolved after taking the Golden Bone Immortal Herb. He could still revert to its original form. Otherwise, this might've been harder to cover up.
As for Ning Bowen himself, he would first take the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid and evolve to the Eight Treasures Glazed Tower, a less conspicuous transformation than the Nine Treasures. Since he hadn't revealed his martial spirit to the world in years, this explanation would suffice.
And third… they'd prepare for Shrek's inevitable visit.
After all, their sect had just "acquired" something very interesting—Phoenix Blood.
And when Shrek came knocking?
Well, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had always been experts at… negotiation.
At dawn, after a brief rest outside Sunset Forest, the group set off for home.
---
That afternoon, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect returned to its mountain.
Ning Bowen gave Huo Yuhao the last drop of Wangchuan Autumn Dew he'd picked. Wu Yan handed the Fiery Glue essences to Wu Feng. Then, everyone entered closed-door cultivation—including Chen Junting.
Though he'd already taken his herb, his martial soul hadn't finished evolving. He needed time to fully understand and control its changes.
Meanwhile, back in the sect—news broke.
And it spread like wildfire.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had obtained the legendary Aromatic Silk Beauty, and the young master's martial soul had evolved into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower!
The entire continent stirred.
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(End of Chapter)
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