Following the route Xiao Wu had suggested, the Shrek group's first discovery was not an immortal herb, but a Spirit Beast suitable for Dai Mubai.
According to their training plan, the hunt was supposed to be carried out by all of the Shrek Seven Devils working together to help Dai Mubai obtain his Spirit Ring.
However, Yu Xiaogang was far too impatient to wait. It was as though, in his mind, every second of delay increased the chance that someone else would claim the immortal herbs.
In the end, Liu Erlong personally intervened, easily wounding the saber-toothed tiger. Dai Mubai seized the opportunity and delivered the finishing blow.
As he entered the process of absorbing his Spirit Ring, the others stood guard while discussing their next course of action.
After traveling for so many days without finding even a trace of an immortal herb, everyone's confidence in Xiao Wu's directions had begun to fade. Some even suggested abandoning this route and searching elsewhere.
In reality, however, Xiao Wu had not been misleading them. If they continued onward, they really would find immortal herbs.
The only mistake she had made was overestimating the group's traveling speed.
In the past, she had been a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast with an enormous body. The way she perceived distances while traveling was completely different from that of humans, and her speed had been on an entirely different level.
When she had previously estimated that they would arrive quickly, she had unconsciously based it on her former self.
His overwhelming desire to obtain the immortal herbs made Yu Xiaogang increasingly restless.
"Xiao Wu," he asked impatiently, "are you certain about your sense of direction? Or have we already gone too far?"
Tang San also turned to look at Xiao Wu.
She could be carefree and unreliable at times, but this was not something she could afford to joke about.
The Shrek group had placed enormous hopes on the immortal herbs. If they discovered they had been deceived, Xiao Wu would bear the full force of their disappointment.
Xiao Wu felt helpless.
The real reason for the slow progress was that Yu Xiaogang had become the slowest member of the group, significantly reducing their traveling speed.
But to spare his pride, she couldn't say that outright.
Instead, she answered tactfully, "I may have misjudged everyone's speed. The scent of the immortal herbs is definitely getting stronger. We should find them very soon."
Tang San immediately supported her.
"Teacher, this isn't Xiao Wu's fault. It's difficult to judge distance accurately by smell alone. Since the scent is becoming stronger, it means we're heading in the right direction."
Flender added reassuringly, "Xiaogang, don't be so anxious. The Star Dou Forest is full of dangers. We can't focus solely on rushing ahead while ignoring the risks around us."
"If Xiao Wu can still sense the herbs, then they shouldn't disappear anytime soon."
He was genuinely worried that Yu Xiaogang might recklessly charge ahead for the sake of the immortal herbs.
When his own interests weren't involved, Yu Xiaogang behaved like the composed and knowledgeable master everyone respected.
But the moment his personal interests were at stake, his composure deteriorated more than anyone else's.
Half a day later, Dai Mubai successfully advanced to Spirit Ancestor Level, becoming the second member of the Shrek Seven Devils to reach that stage.
Yu Xiaogang refused to waste even another moment and immediately urged everyone to continue moving.
To be fair, Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand years of life experience as a rabbit Spirit Beast were no exaggeration.
She remembered every hill, valley, and landmark within the forest with remarkable precision.
Two days later, the Shrek group could already detect an unusually rich fragrance in the air.
After hurrying forward at full speed, they finally arrived at the entrance to a secluded canyon an hour later.
With the sharpest eyesight among them, Flender was the first to notice several immortal herbs growing at the center of the canyon.
"Little San, are those immortal herbs?"
A purple glow flickered across Tang San's eyes before both pupils turned completely violet.
The Purple Demon Eye.
Using one of the Tang Sect's secret techniques, Tang San greatly extended his vision.
Unfortunately, without the support of the Looking Through Autumn Water Dew, his spiritual power had not improved. Although he could make out the general shapes of the plants, he was still too far away to identify them clearly.
"They look like immortal herbs. We'll have to get closer to examine them properly."
Ever cautious, Flender did not rush in.
"We're already deep within the mixed zone. Powerful Spirit Beasts could appear nearby at any moment. Everyone, stay alert."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's impatience, Liu Erlong frowned.
"Boss Flender, what are we waiting for? With the three of us together, there's little to fear from most Spirit Beasts."
With that, she grabbed Yu Xiaogang's hand and headed straight into the canyon.
Aside from Tang San, who managed to remain somewhat rational, the rest of the Shrek Seven Devils had already been completely swept away by the thought of obtaining immortal herbs.
Ignoring Flender's attempts to stop them, they all followed behind Liu Erlong.
Tang San sighed helplessly.
"Headmaster, please keep watch. In this situation, there's no stopping them."
As they entered the canyon, they found it eerily silent.
Apart from the wind, not even the sound of a single bird could be heard.
Flender immediately suspected that the valley belonged to a powerful Spirit Beast. Under the current circumstances, however, he could only hope that the valley's owner had gone out hunting and would not return anytime soon.
In less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the group arrived before the immortal herbs.
There were four herbs in total, each with a different appearance. Judging from their growth, they had only recently entered their growth stage and were still a long way from reaching maturity.
Tang San sighed regretfully.
"What a pity. These four can only be considered semi-immortal herbs. They'll only become true immortal herbs once they fully mature."
Ma Hongjun hurriedly asked, "Third Brother, is there a Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower here?"
Tang San smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is one of the highest-grade immortal herbs. These four are clearly just ordinary immortal herbs that haven't matured yet."
The problem was that they couldn't afford to wait.
The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament was fast approaching. If they didn't increase their strength now, everything else would be meaningless.
Flender urged, "Harvest them first. We can figure everything out after we get back."
Although everyone was anxious, none of them understood the properties of immortal herbs. Carelessly picking them could easily damage them.
They could only suppress their impatience as they watched Tang San take out several metal and jade tools from his storage soul tool.
At that moment, no one realized that there were eight people hoping to consume immortal herbs, while only four herbs stood before them. Dividing them would become a serious problem.
Tang San crouched down and raised a small shovel, intending to dig out an entire herb.
Suddenly the moment the shovel struck the ground, a crisp metallic sound rang out.
Startled, Tang San quickly brushed away the surrounding soil.
Hidden beneath it were several eggs, each about the size of a human face.
"Everyone, be careful! This is a Spirit Beast nesting ground."
Xiao Wu immediately understood what was happening.
Some Spirit Beasts deliberately laid their eggs beside immortal herbs so that, during incubation, the hatchlings could absorb the herbs' spiritual energy. When they finally hatched, there was a chance they would undergo a beneficial mutation and strengthen their bloodline.
Any Spirit Beast possessing such knowledge would have a cultivation of at least thirty thousand years.
She had no idea whether the eggs were connected to some unique sensing method possessed by the parent beasts.
The instant Tang San touched one of the eggs, two Spirit Beasts with cultivations of forty thousand and fifty thousand years respectively began racing back toward the valley.
Moments later, the skies above the valley changed dramatically.
Two enormous Hampus Giant Eagles hovered above the mountaintop, glaring furiously at the intruders below.
"A fifty-thousand-year Spirit Beast!"
Grandmaster's pupils contracted violently, and his body instinctively froze.
A fifty-thousand-year Spirit Beast was comparable to an Spirit Douluo, and there were two of them.
With Liu Erlong and Flender present, they could hold them off for a short time.
But as the battle continued, the commotion would inevitably attract more Spirit Beasts.
Once trapped inside the valley, everyone from Shrek would likely have no chance of escaping alive.
"Xiaogang, don't forget we're the Golden Iron Triangle!" Flender shouted.
Only then did Grandmaster snap out of his daze.
That's right.
This was no longer several years ago.
Now that the three of them had reunited, they possessed a trump card of their own.
----
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