"Oh? What is it?"
Bai Mu became curious.
With so many Immortal Herbs present, which one was "lucky" enough to catch Zygarde's attention?
The next moment, the perspective shifted. Zygarde ignored the many Immortal Herbs and turned toward a corner.
I've chosen this one!
Zygarde raised its paw, pointing at a round, completely golden melon whose vines coiled like a dragon.
Compared to the other Immortal Herbs, this melon looked rather unremarkable aside from its color and shape. Even its aura was ordinary—it clearly hadn't reached the Immortal Herb level yet.
But Bai Mu's expression changed.
"Could this be… the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, an Immortal Herb that hasn't fully matured yet?"
As its name implied, the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd could greatly amplify earth-attribute power, strengthen the consumer's physique, and—most importantly—purify dragon bloodlines.
And Zygarde was both Dragon-type and Ground-type. A perfect match.
"You really know how to choose…"
Bai Mu was speechless.
My judgment is flawless!
Zygarde replied smugly.
"This one's still too small. Let it grow some more. Eating it now won't help you much."
Bai Mu shook his head. "Choose an Immortal Herb we can use right now."
…
Zygarde swept its gaze across the entire medicinal garden, then quickly locked onto a special plant.
The flower resembled a peony, with no leaves at all, rooted directly into a slab of dark stone. Among its snow-white petals were streaks of vivid crimson, as red as blood, forming a breathtaking contrast.
"Yearning Heartbroken Red? You chose that one?"
Bai Mu's heart skipped a beat.
My judgment is flawless!
Sensing Bai Mu's shock, Zygarde already knew it had picked something extraordinary.
"The Yearning Heartbroken Red—the king among Immortal Herbs, an Immortal of Immortals. Legend says it can revive the dead and regrow flesh from bare bones. But the harvesting conditions are extremely strict: you must think of your beloved, spit blood to recognize it as your master, and only then can it be taken. After recognition, it can also conceal the owner's aura."
Recalling what he knew, Bai Mu couldn't help but ask:
"Can you even use this thing?"
Is it really that troublesome?
Zygarde tilted its head, then simply opened its mouth and swallowed the flower whole.
"Holy—this damn dog!"
Bai Mu was stunned, watching everything through shared vision.
No hesitation. No ritual. Just swallowed it outright.
"I can't make it recognize me as its master," Zygarde explained calmly, "but I can directly absorb its origin life energy."
To it, no matter how miraculous an Immortal Herb was, it was ultimately just a condensed form of energy.
Whether it could revive the dead had nothing to do with Zygarde—it only needed the power contained within.
…
Bai Mu could only think one thing:
Amazing.
He realized he'd still underestimated Zygarde.
In its original world, this was a being that stepped in to suppress even gods when balance was threatened. Its control over life energy was naturally terrifying.
Such powerful energy!
A massive surge of pure life force flooded through Zygarde's body, and an intense green light erupted from it.
As the glow strengthened, Z-cells split off one after another, greedily absorbing the scattered energy and sunlight.
When the light finally faded, ten new Z-cells had formed in a single burst.
"That many?!"
Bai Mu was ecstatic. He'd expected some, but not this many.
I feel… kind of full.
Zygarde transmitted a satisfied feeling.
Once this energy is fully digested, I should be able to split off ten more.
One single Yearning Heartbroken Red had the potential to generate twenty additional Z-cells.
For Zygarde's future complete form, this might not be much—but for its current state, those twenty cells would normally take Bai Mu over three years of cultivation to accumulate.
And now, it happened all at once.
Counting the ten cells not yet fully stabilized, the total number of Z-cells had reached thirty.
"Good!"
Bai Mu felt invigorated and waved his hand.
"Can you absorb the rest of the Immortal Herbs for energy? Everything except the Qi Rong Tong Tian Chrysanthemum!"
If Zygarde could absorb them all, it might directly charge toward its complete form.
I can't.
Zygarde shook its head.
"I've reached my limit. I need time to digest this energy first. Forcing it would only waste power and could damage my foundation."
"What a shame…"
Bai Mu nodded in understanding.
"Leave one Z-cell here, and bring back the Qi Rong Tong Tian Chrysanthemum."
Zygarde followed the instructions, sending a newly split Z-cell to cling to a rock in the corner as an invisible observer. Then it moved toward the massive chrysanthemum.
Wrapped in life energy, it gently pulled the flower free, used Jungle Healing to encourage surrounding growth and erase any traces, then silently exited the Poison Array.
The entire theft took less than an hour.
"As expected of an Immortal Herb…"
Bai Mu held the Qi Rong Tong Tian Chrysanthemum, feeling the terrifying energy within it. His heartbeat quickened.
"Seal its aura with the cells. Let's find a safe place."
He didn't consume it immediately—Immortal Herbs had to be taken with absolute caution, in a perfectly safe environment.
"Woo~"
Zygarde used the Z-cells to completely wrap and seal the chrysanthemum, cutting off every trace of its aura.
Man and hound quickly retreated from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, traveling nearly a hundred kilometers before finding a secluded platform bathed in sunlight.
"Indestructible Vajra Body…"
Bai Mu stared at the Qi Rong Tong Tian Chrysanthemum, took a deep breath, and without hesitation followed the method he remembered—first eating the stamen, then the petals.
"Little Soft, protect me. Use Jungle Healing."
As soon as he spoke, Bai Mu sat down under the sun and began cultivating, allowing his body to absorb the medicinal power.
"Wururu!"
Zygarde stood guard at the cliff's edge, watching the surroundings while releasing gentle waves of Jungle Healing to assist Bai Mu's absorption.
"Ngh—"
Not long after, Bai Mu let out a muffled groan.
His entire body flushed red. Veins bulged, muscles swelled, and his bones crackled as if trembling.
Violent medicinal energy surged through his meridians, threatening to tear his body apart.
Pain—piercing, bone-deep pain.
Every inch of muscle and every bone was repeatedly torn down, reforged, and tempered.
Sweat drenched his clothes, only to be instantly evaporated by the heat radiating from his body.
Bai Mu clenched his teeth, circulated his spirit power, and activated his cultivation technique, forcing himself onward.
With Jungle Healing supporting him, the red glow slowly faded. His muscles returned to normal—
But his body had subtly changed.
His muscle lines became smoother and denser, his physique sturdier and more upright, and even his breathing carried a faint, metallic resonance.