Gufeng Mountain was vast, and finding a specific herb within it was no easy task, except for Night Vine branches.

Night Vine branches grew by the edge of black swamps. The swamp’s bottom continuously emitted miasma that gradually drifted and poisoned the trees within a radius of over ten li. So, one only needed to look for the baldest patch on the mountain to find it.

After bypassing a clear stream and climbing several hundred cloud-ladder steps, a ray of golden light suddenly appeared in the distant cliff forest.

This golden light was neither quite mist nor quite cloud, shrouding the treetops. Looking at that forest, the trees were withered and scorched, faintly emanating a damp, moldy, putrid odor. Zanxing knew she had found the right place.

She caught her breath. Who could have imagined that a corporate drone who sat in office buildings all day would, after transmigrating into a book world, become an avid hiking enthusiast? Cultivation wasn’t just about mental strength, but physical strength too.

Zanxing rested for a moment before continuing forward. The closer she got to that forest, the heavier the damp heat became, and even her azure gauze robe was dampened by the mist. A stream meandered out from the forest – half red, half green, vivid yet filthy, making one feel uncomfortable just looking at it.

The deeper she went, the more obvious that discomfort became. She took out a prepared realgar packet, inhaled it at her nose, and the uncomfortable, foul stench dissipated somewhat, but she still felt chest congestion, nausea, and chills.

This place was truly not suitable for humans.

After struggling forward another few hundred steps, the red-green intermingled stream reached its end, revealing a pool of black swamp.

This swamp seemed alive – right in the center, a flowing whirlpool had faintly formed, as if wanting to suck everything around it in. Looking around the swamp, not a single blade of grass grew. Golden miasma continuously steamed up from the swamp’s whirlpool, and the more vivid the color, the more dangerous it appeared.

On the slanted edge of the black swamp grew a tree, not tall, about the height of a person. The entire tree grew at an angle, its trunk as thick as an arm. At the end of the trunk, a blood-colored thin branch extended, hanging directly above the black swamp.

This was the Night Vine branch.

Night Vine branches had branches but no flowers. One tree produced only one branch, and only once a year. If you picked one branch, you’d have to wait until the next year.

Zanxing estimated the distance between herself and this tree and found it somewhat troublesome.

To harvest the Night Vine branch, she’d first have to climb this tree. Setting aside whether the tree was sturdy enough or whether she could climb steadily, just approaching that whirlpool – the source of the miasma – would be very difficult.

She touched her chest, hoping the Xiaoyuan Pearl could give her some inspiration. However, since that last time when it briefly erupted after she executed “Jing Hua Shui Yue,” this pearl had seemed dead, showing no reaction. She wondered if it had entered a dormant period.

With no choice, Zanxing put the prepared cloth over her face, covering her mouth and nose, held a few Job’s tears seeds in her mouth, then approached the Night Vine branch and began climbing the tree.

It must be said that since beginning cultivation, her physical condition has improved considerably. Climbing the tree went quite smoothly.

Though the tree didn’t look thick, it was very stable and sturdy to climb. Zanxing only dared climb to the branch tip and no further. Even so, the miasma hitting her face made her feel she could barely hold on, and sweat instantly soaked through her clothes.

She gripped the trunk tightly with one hand and drew the small knife from her waist with the other, wanting to cut down the branch. Unexpectedly, after cutting twice, she hadn’t even left a mark. Zanxing was stunned and simply wrapped the blade with yuanli, striking hard.

“Clang—” The knife bounced back, and a notch appeared in the blade.

“Is this branch made of iron?” Zanxing was dumbfounded.

She struck several more times with force, but the branch remained completely unmoved, as if mocking her incompetence.

Zanxing was bewildered. She’d found the thing, but what could she do if she couldn’t take it away?

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly felt a strong wind attacking from behind. Zanxing sharply frowned as a sword light swept horizontally toward her chest. She retreated backward, but behind her was only the finger-length Night Vine branch. Her footing slipped, and she tumbled toward the black swamp. At the critical moment, Zanxing grabbed the Night Vine branch with one hand, her entire body suspended in mid-air.

Below her was the black swamp continuously emitting miasma, and in front of her… stood a man in golden gauze robes, holding a long sword, looking at her with disdain.

“Hua Yue?” Zanxing was shocked: “What are you doing?”

Hua Yue stood on the trunk, looking down at Zanxing from above, his tone sinister: “You ask what I’m doing?”

Zanxing frowned: “I have no grudge against you, so why are you harming me?” A thought crossed her mind: “You want to stand up for Duan Xiangrao?”

“Tch,” Hua Yue toyed with the thumb ring on his hand, “I don’t have the leisure to participate in disputes between women. Hand it over.”

Zanxing was stunned: “What?”

He pressed closer, his eyes showing undisguised greed: “The secret treasure you’re hiding.”

“Secret treasure?”

“In just one month, you went from barely entering the Refining Qi stage to early Foundation Establishment, advancing three levels and even defeating Xiangrao across levels. How could this be possible without the aid of a secret treasure?” He smiled, his tone sinister, “If you obediently hand it over, I might spare your life. Otherwise…” He made a gesture as if to chop the Night Vine branch.

Zanxing’s heart sank.

Hua Yue had guessed pretty accurately.

In the original story, the plot about Hua Yue and Mu Cengxiao becoming enemies hadn’t happened yet. However, the plot that should have occurred to Mu Cengxiao was happening to her instead. But the original story didn’t write about this black swamp. Could it be that in the upcoming plot, she would also disturb some demon beast and thus kill the beast to steal its cub?

“What are you spacing out for?” Hua Yue frowned: “Why aren’t you handing it over quickly?”

Zanxing steadied herself and looked at him: “I don’t have any secret treasure, and I don’t know where you heard such rumors. However, aren’t you afraid that framing a fellow disciple will be exposed and you’ll be expelled from the sect?”

Hua Yue smiled carelessly: “This black swamp is rarely visited. The fellow senior brothers are all busy gathering spiritual herbs on the other side. Only you and I are here. But,” his smile faded, “you’re not sensible. Since that’s the case…” He suddenly drew his sword forward, scaring Zanxing so much her heart nearly stopped.

She felt a chill all over as her robe was split open by the sword edge. Hua Yue, wary of the black swamp and not daring to approach, used sword wind to shred her robe. Zanxing’s Qiankun Bag flew into Hua Yue’s hands, and he swept over Zanxing’s entire body with yuanli. His face suddenly turned ugly: “How can there be nothing?”

“I told you from the beginning,” Zanxing hung in mid-air, both hands clutching the branch: “I don’t have any secret treasure. Quickly pull me up.”

Hua Yue stared at her. After a moment, he smiled: “Previously, at the sect assessment, you injured my woman. Now, you’ve made me waste this trip and delayed me for so long. Not killing you is already merciful. Yang Zanxing, how do you still have the face to ask me to save you?”

Zanxing: “You ambushed me first.”

“So what?” Hua Yue stepped back: “If you’re capable, come up yourself. Though you probably won’t have that chance anymore.”

Zanxing looked in the direction he was indicating, and her gaze suddenly focused. She saw that the Night Vine branch that couldn’t be cut by a knife and was as hard as iron now suddenly showed a crack at its tip.

“Are you kidding me?” Zanxing murmured, “Can’t you play fair?”

The next moment, she heard a crisp snap. The Night Vine branch broke in the middle, and along with the person hanging on the branch, fell into the miasma-laden black swamp.