Chapter 304: Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth

Yu Er and Ru Yue actually wanted to speak up for Ye Liuyun, but faced with so many women, the two of them didn't dare to make a sound.

In the end, Lin Feier cleared the situation for Ye Liuyun. "Both of those women have marriage engagements with Ye Liuyun; what are you fighting over! It's settled like this, otherwise we'd never be able to leave!"

Saying that, she voluntarily moved to the left side of the formation. Liu Shengnan also took the right side.

Thus the large group of women finally quieted down a bit, each finding her own spot. The two Holy Realm disciples from the Water Moon Palace stood at the rear.

On Ye Liuyun's left and right were Liang Xue and Wu Qingcheng, with Lei Ming perched on his shoulder. Worried that his defenses were insufficient, he also summoned Bai Hu and Shi Yuan, ordering them to take positions on the side rear wings for defense.

Their direction was straight toward the center of the Secret Realm. Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense already sensed a strong energy fluctuation emanating from there.

Sounds of battle kept coming from within the Secret Realm. It was some Corpse Demons and Demon Race fighting.

When the women heard the battle noises, they suddenly became much more obedient and all shut their mouths. Otherwise they would have chattered nonstop along the way, making Ye Liuyun's head ache.

Not having gone far, Ye Liuyun waved his hand and halted the group.

"We've been spotted by the Corpse Demons. Our numbers are too many, our march too slow; our Qi and blood have attracted their attention, and they are now surging toward us."

The women all panicked. Only Lin Feier remained calm and said, "Just tell us what to do."

Ye Liuyun thought for a moment, then decided, "Full speed forward with me. There's a valley ahead, suitable for defense." He immediately led the way, sprinting in that direction.

The others kept formation, tightly following him.

When they met Corpse Demons blocking the path, they simply cut them down. The Holy Realm duties were assigned to Ye Liuyun and Lei Ming, the Ninth Sea Transformation duties to Liang Xue and Wu Qingcheng. The four of them forged a gap ahead and charged into the valley.

Approaching the valley, Ye Liuyun shouted, "Bai Hu, Shi Yuan, hold off the Corpse Demons for a moment! Everyone else, follow me."

Bai Hu and Shi Yuan immediately halted and intercepted the pursuing Corpse Demons. Ye Liuyun led his men into the valley, promptly assigning defensive positions, and then recalled Bai Hu and Shi Yuan.

The Corpse Demons that followed were then attacked from three sides and quickly eliminated. These Demons have very low sentience and are reckless. Just as they wiped out one batch, another wave rushed in.

Hell Mingshe, as the main force killing these Corpse Demons, eliminated most of the high‑rank Corpse Demons of the Yuan Dan Realm.

Ye Liuyun, while slaying the charging Corpse Demons, used his Divine Sense to probe the valley. He found the gorge narrowing until only one person could pass, but beyond that lay a secluded paradise, filled with many holy herbs.

However, Ye Liuyun did not detect any guardian there. That was odd.

"You stay here and keep formation. I'll go inside to investigate and be right back." Ye Liuyun instructed the group, then sprinted deep into the gorge.

He entered the canyon directly, scanning again with his Divine Sense, and indeed found no guardian. Inside the gorge was only a small wooden hut; inside the hut there was no one, just a withered skeleton on a straw mat.

"Strange, there's no guardian here, yet the herbs haven't been taken by the Demon Race." Ye Liuyun could not figure it out.

He casually plucked two holy herbs, staying alert to his surroundings, but still found that indeed no one was guarding the place.

Then he approached the hut and pushed the door open. The clothing on the skeleton resembled that of a woman.

On the table lay a stack of wooden tablets inscribed with characters.

Ye Liuyun glanced at them and realized the tablets were left by the skeleton.

The skeleton was the former mistress of this herb garden. After arriving here, she cultivated the garden and refined a True Essence of the Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth, which specifically counteracts evil demons. Over time the entire area became impervious to Demon Qi, and the Demon Race would instinctively avoid its aura.

After getting the gist, Ye Liuyun immediately returned and led everyone into the gorge. The Corpse Demons, midway in pursuit, became frightened by the aura inside and retreated outright.

Ye Liuyun took Lei Ming, Liang Xue, Wu Qingcheng, Yu Er and Ru Yue to the front of the hut, letting them search for the opportunity themselves. According to the tablets, the owner left a legacy; Ye Liuyun let them each look for it, whoever finds it keeps it. Those who find nothing should help gather herbs.

Later, he told Lin Xueying, Qi Tianyue, Nan Xin'er, Leng Yue, Liu Shengnan, Lin Feier and others that the valley contained four hidden treasure spots, each offering an opportunity; whoever finds one claims it.

He himself only picked a few holy herbs and then went aside to cultivate.

Although he hadn't received the legacy and didn't know how to cultivate this Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth, his Mysterious Origin Qi Refining Manual could absorb the power. So he took the chance to absorb more of this aura.

This aura couldn't increase the quantity of his True Essence, but it could improve its quality.

A river ran through the gorge, and Bai Hu and Shi Yuan were catching fish at its bank.

The others were gathering herbs and hunting for treasure, busy and delighted. Since there was no danger, some even began to joke and frolic.

Soon, everyone returned to collect herbs. The legacy and the scattered treasures were all found.

What surprised Ye Liuyun was that Lei Ming had obtained the legacy, gaining the cultivation method for the Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Because she was alone, she tried to collect the owner's skeleton. While moving the bones, the owner's lingering Divine Sense directly transmitted the technique to Lei Ming.

Meanwhile, Lin Feier found a treasure sword, roughly at the spirit‑artifact level; Lin Xueying found a pill that could elevate her realm; Liang Xue and Yu Er found a pile of bloodline crystal stones, which they split evenly; and a Sea Transformation disciple from the Water Moon Palace found a spirit‑artifact‑grade pill furnace.

Lei Ming also told them that the fish Bai Hu and Shi Yuan were catching were actually condensations of the essence of the Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth, not real fish. By absorbing and refining those fish, one could add this attribute to one's True Essence.

So everyone immediately went to scoop up the fish. Bai Hu and Shi Yuan had already eaten quite a few. They felt nothing special, only knowing the thing could improve their True Essence's quality, but not knowing what it was, so they kept quiet.

Relying on his powerful Divine Sense, Ye Liuyun alone caught more fish than all the others combined. He absorbed a portion himself and gave the rest to the women beside him.

Afterwards, everyone continued their own cultivation or herb gathering, each busy with their own tasks.

After a day, the Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth here had noticeably diminished, and Lei Ming and Ye Liuyun were both striving to absorb what remained.

All the herbs in the gorge were completely harvested. Lin Xueying refined the pill she obtained, instantly raising her realm from the Fifth to the Eighth Sea Transformation, making her overjoyed, and everyone else envied her.

Fortunately the women were all relatively calm, and no disputes arose from start to finish.

Liang Xue and Yu Er also entered the Xuan Kong Shi and refined the bloodline crystal stones they had found.