Chapter 123 - Treasure Trove

Luo Xiao was not the only surprised person after witnessing this sight. Jiang Yao also felt his heartbeat increase as he noticed various herbs that could advance one's cultivation base, and strengthen one's foundations.

These herbs were considered even rarer than the Moon Anise, but they were not as sought after, as they did not cause as radical of a change, and even if someone searched for them, it would be near impossible to locate them.

The herbs had existed since time immemorial, but they had slowly gotten from common to uncommon, and from uncommon to rare, and now it was at the point that most would consider them extinct.

Jiang Yao did not understand alchemy as he had no interest in this topic. Still, he did have some basic understanding of herbs, as they could help him increase his Qi cultivation.

Seeing the sheer amount of these herbs present, he waved his hand, and whole patches of the herbs were uprooted and stored in his spatial bag.

While he did harvest quite a number of herbs, he did not take all of them, but around one third, leaving the rest to recuperate and spread once more.

Luo Xiao's eyes had also widened like bronze bells, as he noticed many herbs which were useful for alchemy.

The ground underneath their feet did not have the common grass that one would have expected. Instead, it was spirit grass, and at every step, you would encounter herbs of various kinds; even multiple species of spirit mushrooms were present, and the more they looked, the more shocked they became. This cave was indeed a treasure trove.

Luo Xiao did not stand on ceremony. Like Jiang Yao, he did not harvest all of the herbs he came across, but he was happily taking all the oldest, and most potent herbs and resources that they came across.

The forest that began just a few meters before them was also not a forest of ordinary trees. These trees were all Purple Maple Trees, which were known for the sheer amount of energy they contained.

They would absorb energy to grow, instead of sunshine, and their wood was often used for carving figurines and furniture, as they could advance the speed of one's cultivation.

It was very rare to come across even one Purple Maple Tree, but here, there was a whole forest of them!

Jiang Yao looked at the trees for some time before he waved his hand, and a dark shadow-like flash flew from his fingers, which cut down a row of trees. As soon as they were cut down, Jiang Yao placed them in his storage bag. Although he was already extremely wealthy, he was not wasteful. Coming across such a treasure trove, it would be stupid not to gather some resources for himself.

Luo Xiao glanced at the trees and pondered for a moment, but he quickly decided against copying Jiang Yao's move. While the Purple Maple Trees were too tempting, he had no actual use for them.

The two slowly advanced through the wonderful archaic forest, and the further into the forest they came, the more they continued feeling disbelief.

The riches of this cave were simply way beyond anything they had been able to hope for.

"Can you still feel the calling?" Jiang Yao glanced at Luo Xiao and asked gently, which made the younger man frown.

"There is something here," he said doubtfully. "However, this calling is a lot weaker now; it seems to be at peace and it's not rushing us. Let us take our time and examine this cave thoroughly while taking the resources we want."

Jiang Yao nodded his head. He had initially thought that these resources were the actual reward that was calling out for him, but since there was still something calling to him, it seemed to be much more complicated than he had expected.

However, seeing that the calling had calmed down, it was likely so that whichever mechanism was calling for him was conscious, and wanted him to take his time to gather enough resources.

Jiang Yao was split when he thought of this. There could be two causes for this; one was that the consciousness wanted Luo Xiao to collect items for it, as it could not collect them itself. Another possibility was that the consciousness truly wanted the best for Luo Xiao, and wished for him to gain as much as possible, so that it could help him boost his strength further.

Not knowing which one it would be, Jiang Yao was on alert, but he did not mention leaving. Rewards and risks went hand in hand, and for him and Luo Xiao, the rewards here were truly magnificent. It would be a lifelong regret should they choose to leave now.

Together, they went through the outskirts of the cave first, and picked numerous herbs and other resources before they slowly made their way further into the depths of the cave.

The further in they came, the richer the energy, and the more potent the herbs were. It was to the point that these herbs and trees were on the verge of becoming spirits, and both Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao had their eyes shining with happiness.

Even the usually stoic Jiang Yao felt his heart tremble. He had come for the sake of the Moon Anise, but in the end, he had gotten something much better.

The riches he had gained were so impressive that he would not even trade them for ten or more Moon Anises.

The further into the depths of the ancient forest they got, the slower they moved as they picked more and more resources. However, Luo Xiao also felt the calling was much more profound than he initially thought. It was guiding him without threatening him, it was making him feel comfortable, and it was patient, but it was also stubborn. It did not leave his mind, continually guiding him towards a specific direction.