"You mean to say that this Valley of Hundred Beasts, just like the Old Ginseng Mountain, is a result of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures gaining essence?" Chen Guan pondered over the story told by Zhu Hongzhi.

"That's hard to say, I can't be sure of anything, after all, the experience at Old Ginseng Mountain back then felt like a dream to me, and I dare not confirm its truth myself."

After a pause, Zhu Hongzhi continued, "Although we were not the ones responsible for clearing this area at the time, the person in charge was an experienced old commander, known for his cautious, mature, and steady work. If there was an original valley here, how likely is it to go unnoticed?"

Only then did Chen Guan understand Zhu Hongzhi's point; he was suggesting that this Valley of Hundred Beasts originally didn't exist and had been relocated from elsewhere.

Just like the mysterious disappearance of Old Ginseng Mountain he mentioned, how likely is that?

With such immense Divine Power to move mountains and fill seas, is there really such a terrifying existence within the Blessed Land?

Zhu Hongzhi further said, "If, I'm saying if, the situation of Hundred Beast Valley is indeed similar to that of Old Ginseng Mountain, then the existence of this valley must be very limited, and we need to decide sooner if we are to extract the Lingzhi."

"What do you mean?" Chen Guan roughly understood what Zhu Hongzhi was trying to convey.

There's nothing wrong with the harvested stone Lingzhi, but the Secret Spirits extracting the stone Lingzhi will encounter problems. Sacrificing those extracting Secret Spirits will allow us to retrieve the stone Lingzhi.

"Regardless of whether this valley will disappear, let's first hurry and collect some stone Lingzhi," Zhu Hongzhi said.

Chen Guan nodded slightly, "Discuss with Commander Bai."

"It's better if Vice Commander Chen and Vice Commander Bai discuss it; given the current situation of our camps, I'm afraid explaining to her might make her overthink," Zhu Hongzhi shook his head.

"That's possible, I can only relay the message. Whether Vice Commander Bai wants to, it's her own decision," Chen Guan thought and said.

"If she's unwilling, I hope she'll agree to let our camp harvest independently," Zhu Hongzhi reminded Chen Guan not to tell anyone about Old Ginseng Mountain, as others would just think he's talking nonsense, or that he harmed his teammates and concocted such a story.

Chen Guan agreed and went to Bai Yueguang and Jiang Tianqing to relay Zhu Hongzhi's idea of sacrificing pets to quickly harvest the stone Lingzhi.

"The Valley of Hundred Beasts belongs to both the Jade Qilin and Ink Qilin camps. Whether to harvest quickly, Vice Commander Bai can discuss it with Vice Commander Zhu," Chen Guan said.

"Chen Guan, let's talk alone," Bai Yueguang pondered for a moment, looking up to Chen Guan.

Chen Guan didn't know what Bai Yueguang wanted to discuss privately, but he agreed.

The two of them went to a deserted place, and after hesitating for a moment, Bai Yueguang said to Chen Guan, "Chen Guan, the situation in this Valley of Hundred Beasts is very similar to a place I've seen before."

"Why does this introduction sound so familiar? Isn't she going to tell me the story of Old Ginseng Mountain?" Chen Guan thought to himself.

Bai Yueguang continued, "The Ancestral Court has a department specifically dedicated to researching the plants within the Secret Realm. However, their research is focused not on pharmaceuticals, cuisine, or planting, but on the relationship between the Secret Realm's plants and the Secret Spirits."

"According to their research reports, the plants in the Secret Realm are actually a type of Secret Spirit, but unlike animal-type Secret Spirits, plant-type Secret Spirits primarily feed on the Free Elemental Energy mingling between heaven and earth within the Secret Realm. Because they cannot move, they give people the illusion that they are merely plants and not Secret Spirits."

"However, not all plant Secret Spirits are immobile. Early on, plant Secret Spirits can merely be considered food, unable to actively attack or harm humans or other Secret Spirits. But if a plant Secret Spirit grows to a certain extent, it can detach from the earth, soar the skies, and traverse the land, living off Heaven and Earth Elemental Energy. Such Secret Spirits not only gain mobility but also develop high intelligence."

"Are you saying the stone Lingzhi in the Valley of Hundred Beasts is such a plant Secret Spirit?" Chen Guan pondered aloud.

"The stone Lingzhi itself is harmless, but the pets that pick it might be in trouble. This could very well be a counterattack from the stone Lingzhi just before death, possibly because the Lingzhi here already has some Spiritual essence and ability."

Bai Yueguang paused before further adding, "I once followed that department to a place, and that place too was a valley, where a plant called Void Spirit Grass grew—not from the ground, but floating in the air, rooting in the clouds, moving with the wind, and dancing among the clouds. Those Void Spirit Grass were very close to ordinary Secret Spirits, and the aroma they emitted carried a toxin-like effect, killing many people back then."

"But the most terrifying thing wasn't the toxin of the Void Spirit Grass." After a long hesitation, Bai Yueguang said, "Amid those Void Spirit Grass was an entity that had transformed into a human shape, almost indistinguishable from a human-like Secret Spirit, and even more terrifying. When we found him, he only glanced at us, and our entire team was almost wiped out. Only a few of us were responsible for security and didn't touch the Void Spirit Grass, so we didn't die there. But we still haven't figured out how the others were killed."

"There's a sealing order on this matter, I can't casually speak about it. Just let it pass once you've heard it, don't spread it. If you leak the information and it reaches the higher-ups, I'll never admit to telling you this," Bai Yueguang said earnestly.

Chen Guan nodded slightly, "Are you afraid that the stone Lingzhi here is a similar situation to the Void Spirit Grass, and that there's also a stone Lingzhi that has transformed into human form here?"

Bai Yueguang nodded slightly, "That's exactly what I mean."

Chen Guan pondered, what Bai Yueguang said was quite similar in essence to Zhu Hongzhi's story of Old Ginseng Mountain.

The difference was that Bai Yueguang's team survived because they didn't touch those Heavenly and Earthly Treasures; whereas Zhu Hongzhi brought back a lot of old ginseng, so he assumed as long as they didn't touch the innermost terrifying existence, it wouldn't hurt to take some benefits.

Both seem to believe there are extremely terrifying plant-type Secret Spirits in this cave, and according to their words.

Plant-type Secret Spirits are very weak initially, unable to resist human harvesting, but once they grow to the point of shedding the confines of the earth and transforming, they become extremely terrifying.

However, all these are merely their speculations; whether the situation in the Valley of Hundred Beasts resembles what they've encountered remains uncertain.

"Cannot afford to be careless," Chen Guan returned and discussed again with Zhu Hongzhi, sharing Bai Yueguang's concerns, though without mentioning the Void Spirit Grass.

In the end, they decided to wait for the examination results of the stone Lingzhi and Secret Spirit Pets before proceeding, to avoid unnecessary sacrifice.

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