Chapter 109: Snake Coils Blood Lotus

  ……

  All along, Nie Kong had thought that the best medicinal herbs of the Nie family were all concentrated in the Spiritual Medicine Hall or the Alchemy Hall. However, when he followed Nie Xingyun into the secret room behind the Alchemy Hall, he discovered that he was greatly mistaken.

  The moment he stepped in, various medicinal aromas wafted up to his face. Nie Kong only took a few breaths before feeling invigorated throughout his body, as if all 36,000 pores on his skin had opened up. The little guy inside his Dantian was excitedly shouting "Ah ya ya". Just by smelling the fragrance, Nie Kong knew that some of the medicines stored in this secret room were definitely no less precious than the snake-shaped herb he had snatched from the second layer of the Illusory Realm.

  This secret room is extremely spacious and is separated into several spaces by thick dragon stones. In addition to a few medicinal herb areas, there are also two alchemy areas.

  Nie Xingyun turned his head to look at Nie Kong, smiling and saying: "In the past, only I and that Red Hair could enter here, now there's another one of you."

  The five elders would always use "red hair" to refer to Lian Tianxin whenever the conversation involved him. As for what happened two days ago, he had been harboring a grudge. It was only natural, wasn't it? Originally, Nie Kong was his sole disciple, but now he had to share him with Lian Tianxin - how could he not feel resentful?!

  "The Tianling Continent is vast and boundless, with countless medicinal herbs that can be used to refine spiritual medicine. What has been discovered so far is only a small part of it. Come, Master will first bring you to familiarize yourself with the place, later this will be where you'll stay, and when you have time, you can also go to the outer alchemy halls to exchange experiences with them."

  Nie Kong followed Nie Xingyun from behind, his eyes widening in amazement.

  Most of the medicines here are placed in specially made crystal boxes. Those boxes are almost completely transparent, and you can see the vibrant medicine inside without opening the lid. The crystal boxes all have labels with the names of the medicines written on them, ninety-nine percent of which Nie Kong didn't recognize, only a few could be matched to the names of herbs in the "Demon" game, and their shapes were roughly similar.

  The medicinal herbs that can be seen on the first and second floors of the Lingyao Hall are rarely seen here, with a huge number of low-grade medicinal herbs, and it is not necessary to use precious spiritual jade boxes to preserve them.

  "Oh no!"

  Suddenly, the little guy became extremely excited and shouted out in a tone that was very similar to when he had found the source of the medicine fragrance in the Phantom Realm.

  Nie Kong stopped in his tracks, his eyes involuntarily drifting to a purple box beside him. The purple color was not from the jade box itself, but rather reflected from the medicinal herbs inside. The shape of those herbs was quite peculiar, with roots, stems and leaves all resembling the lightning mark from his past life, except for the rounded joints.

  This herb is extremely precious, if used for cultivation, its efficiency might surpass that of the Ice Flame Cave. Yesterday, Nie Kong probed and inquired around, and already vaguely understood that many herbs capable of refining sixth-grade or higher spiritual medicines, regardless of their medicinal properties, all contain an abundance of rich Wood Spirit element.

  "This is 'Electric Light Vine', the main material for refining the sixth-grade spiritual medicine 'Lei Long Dan'. It has been stored here for 15 years, only because I and Hong Mao have not yet become a sixth-grade spiritual medicine master. That's why it's still here." Seeing Nie Kong's interest in the herb, Nie Xingyun smiled and introduced it briefly.

  "...can refine six types of spiritual medicine..."

  "Master, I recall seeing a strange-looking herb in the second layer of the Phantom Realm a few days ago. I was about to dig it up for closer inspection when a giant snake suddenly appeared, forcing me to retreat hastily."

  Nie Xingyun saw through Nie Kong's little thoughts at a glance, stroking the sparse and scattered whiskers under his chin, and smiled with narrowed eyes: "Oh? Tell me about that herb."

  Nie Kong smiled and quickly described the shape of the Blood Red Herb, but only detailed the parts above the roots to match the small lie he had told earlier.

  "Leaves like plates, surface like blood..."

  Nie Xingyun furrowed his brow and sank into thought for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and his breathing became slightly hurried. "Nie Kong, what did that giant snake look like?"

  As soon as he saw his expression, Nie Kong knew there was something fishy going on, and hurriedly recalled the appearance of the giant snake. He then added: "Right, Master, that big snake's whole body is crimson red, but it seems to have a small patch of black on top of its head. When it moves, it looks like a floating cloud."

  Nie Xingyun clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Black Cloud Red Serpent! It's indeed the Black Cloud Red Serpent... If Master didn't guess wrong, the herb you saw must be 'Snake Coiled Blood Lotus'!"

  Nie Kong looked at Nie Xing Yun, but saw that he was actually excited to the point where his face had a faint red glow: "I didn't expect that there would be 'Snake Coiling Blood Lotus' in the second layer of the Phantom Realm. What a pity, what a pity! If only things from inside the Phantom Realm could be brought out, then I'd say whatever it takes to get my hands on it!"

  Nie Xingyun had already sighed and stamped his foot by then.

  "Master, is the Snake Coiled Blood Lotus very precious?" Nie Kong asked knowingly.

  "It's not just precious, it's a rare and extraordinary medicine in the world. If we get the help of Lingbao Pavilion to refine it into a 'Condensed Blood Spirit Fire Pill', your master can be promoted from Virtual Spirit 8th rank to Virtual Spirit 9th rank, and within ten years, Danling will have hope." Nie Xingyun sighed with pain and anxiety.

  "It can also be used to refine the six-grade spiritual medicine." Nie Kong's eyes widened, and he nodded his head, but in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if the snake coiled blood lotus could still be used to refine the "Congealing Blood Divine Fire Pill" after being absorbed by him and Xiangxiang. After a pause, Nie Kong asked: "Master, is the snake coiled blood lotus poisonous?"

  "Of course."

  Nie Xingyun said, "Every 'Snake Coiling Blood Lotus' is cultivated with the black cloud red snake's internal blood and essence over many years. The black cloud red snake's blood is a highly toxic substance, so that 'Snake Coiling Blood Lotus' you mentioned probably cost the black cloud red snake five hundred years of its lifeblood..."

  Nie Kong had been secretly cultivating it for 500 years using his refined blood, no wonder that giant snake went crazy after discovering the disappearance of the medicinal herb!

  "For five hundred years, the Snake Coils Blood Lotus has been extremely toxic. If ingested directly, even a ordinary Spirit Master would turn into a puddle of blood in an instant, and even a Void Spirit Master wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. However, if used to refine the 'Congealing Blood Divine Flame Pill', it would have an extraordinary effect... what a pity, what a pity!" Nian Xingyun sighed endlessly.

  Even a Void Spirit Master can be poisoned to death in a short time, it can be seen how strong the toxicity of Snake盘Blood莲 is! Nie Kong felt great relief in his heart, fortunately, after the fragrance was absorbed, he endured and did not eat it, otherwise, now he and that little guy Xiangxiang would have been poisoned to the point where nothing was left.

  "Never mind, never mind. If I go on talking, Master, my heart will break." Nian Xingyun sighed and walked forward with a sigh.

  “……”

  Looking at Nie Xingyun's dejected expression, Nie Kong also felt a bit helpless. The poisonous Snake Coiling Blood Lotus had already lost its effect on him, and giving it to someone else to try and refine the "Congealing Blood Divine Flame Pill" wouldn't be a big loss either. However, doing so would inevitably lead to having to explain how he managed to bring the medicinal herb out of the Illusory Realm, something Nie Kong didn't want to do, especially not because of the Snake Coiling Blood Lotus, and face his family's interrogation.

  After visiting the secret room, Nie Xingyun started from the most ordinary medicinal herbs and explained them to Nie Kong one by one.

  At this time, Nie Kong only knew that the knowledge Nie Xingyun grasped was so rich, about the pharmacology and properties of medicinal herbs, as well as their living environment and location, the combination of medicinal herbs, Nie Xingyun told them like a treasured family heirloom, letting Nie Kong listen with relish, without feeling the slightest passage of time.

  ……