51 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 51 Based on Yan Zhuguang's speculation, this secret realm might have been created by a powerful individual, effectively crafting a small world with the jade wall serving as the entrance and exit. Alternatively, this could be a world within the jade wall itself. If that’s the case, the collapse of this palace appears rather peculiar. With what kind of mindset would the owner of this secret realm construct a palace made of soil and grass stems? There were no natural disasters or calamities within the secret realm, so why did the palace collapse? Harboring these questions, Yan Zhuguang remained vigilant as she slowly approached the palace. While keeping an eye on her mini-map, she also relied on her instincts to scout for danger. Strangely, she crossed the grassland and reached the vicinity of the palace walls without encountering any peril. This sparse grassland was unexpectedly serene, completely unlike the perilous waters she had previously passed through. The more peaceful it seemed, the more cautious Yan Zhuguang became. From her previous experience with the waters, she knew this secret realm was not a lifeless void; it housed living entities. And on this grassland, there wasn’t a trace of any living being. Perhaps inside the palace, a more ominous danger awaited! Outside the palace was a segment of an enclosed low wall, intact and unscathed. Yan Zhuguang agilely hopped over it in just a couple of moves, unimpeded by any barrier formations or restrictions. Flipping her palm, she held the sprout of the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine between her fingers, ready for anything as she navigated the winding path behind the low wall. Not long after, the tiny sprout in Yan Zhuguang’s palm began to fidget. Had Yan Zhuguang not sensed its agitation and subdued it through her contractual bond, the little thing might have darted away. Frowning, Yan Zhuguang glanced in the direction the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine was indicating—a dense maze of low walls, obscuring her view of anything. How inconvenient it was without divine sense. The mini-map offered no clues, yet Yan Zhuguang considered her options and decided to follow the direction suggested by the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine. It was rare for the little entity to be so excited; who knew what lay ahead? The interior of the palace resembled a maze, with the collapsed ceiling segmenting the palace's space into irregular pockets. Yan Zhuguang occasionally vaulted over various earthen obstacles, eventually deciding to traverse along the tops of walls directly. Though this made her a more visible target, it provided a broader view, allowing her to see further. However, as she delved deeper, Yan Zhuguang noticed some discrepancies. The dilapidated palace, as she suspected, was not as simplistic as it appeared from the outside. Excluding the collapsed sections, the arrangement of these walls vaguely resembled a formation. At certain wall bases, she detected traces of lingering spell remnants. She couldn’t ascertain the specific formation, but it likely was some formidable trapping formation, perhaps abandoned due to disrepair and the lack of spiritual energy. There were no signs of life within the palace, just empty rooms devoid of furniture or even windows. Were it not for the constantly vibrating sprout in her hand, becoming more animated by the moment, Yan Zhuguang might have considered retreating. If there were no treasure, what was her purpose inside this palace? Sightseeing? She might as well continue searching for her senior sister. While she pondered her next move, a sudden sense of alarm struck her. With a leap, she sprang from the wall’s edge just as it crumbled beneath where she’d been standing. Without hesitation, she continued moving, deftly dodging subsequent attacks that befell the rest of the wall. Calling upon her flying sword, she attempted to soar upwards, only to find that navigating with it required several times more spiritual energy than flying over the waters had. To soar meant expending immense spiritual energy; to stay grounded meant falling into the grasp of the unidentified attacker. Indeed, the attacker was unknown. Whatever it was attacked with such speed that Yan Zhuguang’s keen eyesight couldn’t even catch a glimpse of what shattered the walls. In the face of imminent danger, Yan Zhuguang swiftly abandoned the idea of flight. Using her sword to propel herself to another wall, she sheathed it and resumed her escape, nimbly leaping from wall to wall. Though she had no clue what was attacking her, Yan Zhuguang found herself growing more intrigued by the palace. The more perilous the place, the stronger her desire to delve further. High risk promised high reward. As the attacks on her became increasingly relentless, Yan Zhuguang sensed something moving beneath the ground in tandem with the attack frequency, likely the source of the assault? With the escalating frequency of attacks, Yan Zhuguang accelerated her pace, leaving a trail of shattered walls in her wake. The already ruinous palace succumbed further to decay. Walls made of soil and grass crumbled, raising clouds of dust. Where once she merely couldn’t see her adversary, now she could barely discern the path ahead. In a single bound, Yan Zhuguang swiftly wove a hand seal, flicking her fingers forward. A burst of clear green light cut through the dust, restoring clarity to her surroundings. Yet behind her, the rumbling beneath the earth grew louder, rumbling forcefully as the previously level ground abruptly surged upward, cracking open with a fissure. A root, the same hue as the earthen wall, suddenly shot forth, swinging ferociously at Yan Zhuguang. Yan Zhuguang clasped her hands together, producing several talismans. Tossing one at the root with her left, she struck her body with her right. "Boom" The talismans collided with the root, erupting violently to momentarily halt its approach. Seizing the lightening effect from the talisman, Yan Zhuguang sped onward. Passing wall after wall, she finally neared the center of the palace. Here, the structures were relatively intact, though slightly worn, yet not in the collapsed state of those in the outer perimeter. A wide open space lay before the buildings, its construction differing from the rest of the palace. It was of stone, unlike the earthen walls. Yan Zhuguang refrained from rashly entering the intact buildings, instead pausing in the expanse of the open area. Before long, the pursuing root emerged again, unable to penetrate the stone plaza and emerging from the soil to once more lash at Yan Zhuguang. At that moment, Yan Zhuguang released the sprout that had been restrained on the back of her hand, now eager to engage. Freed, the bright green sprout shot away, lunging directly at the root. Suddenly taken aback, the aggressive root hesitated, sinking downward in an effort to evade the sprout’s assault. Yet the sprout was exceedingly agile. As the root twisted, it followed suit, swiftly burrowing into the root. The root froze before convulsing wildly. Any plant that could stir the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine to such fervor was no ordinary flora. Yan Zhuguang scrutinized the root, attempting to identify its species. Unfortunately, with just a root segment, even if it was from specialized cultivation, Yan Zhuguang couldn’t ascertain its exact type. From her backpack, she retrieved several spirit stones to replenish her spiritual energy, while addressing the system, "This doesn't show up on the mini-map." Had Yan Zhuguang not been quick-witted, she might have been struck by the entity. Even now, the mini-map displayed no red dot associated with the root. The system meekly offered, "The system is not omnipotent; detection permissions unlock with the host’s strength improvement. Currently, the host's strength is too weak to detect items with specialized stealth methods, even with the system." Yan Zhuguang remained silent. Fortunately, she was accustomed to relying on herself rather than the system; otherwise, she could have been in real danger. While replenishing her energy and conversing with the system, a disturbance came from the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine. Linked through a contract, Yan Zhuguang could faintly sense its state. She understood that as soon as the Vine breached the root, it released a significant amount of toxins. Yet the root seemed to have some resistance, blocking the toxins before they could spread. After intercepting the toxins, the root unexpectedly severed itself, expelling the section where the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine had latched. The sprout rapidly devoured the severed root, eyeing the remaining segment hungrily, poised to attack again. Amazingly, as the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine consumed the root, Yan Zhuguang felt a surge of power returning through their contract. This power was rich in wood element energy, nuanced with traces of poison, flowing into Yan Zhuguang, serving as an optimal energy supplement. Surprisingly, this surge felt potent enough to loosen the foundation of the early-stage breakthrough she had recently achieved. A precious find! Gazing at the self-amputated root, the light in Yan Zhuguang's eyes mirrored that of the resplendent sprout. Grab it, consume it! This was the singular thought racing through Yan Zhuguang’s mind. Detecting the duo’s intent to seize it, the root, having just managed to escape the clutches of the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine, shivered perceptibly. In an instant, it darted back underground, even sealing the crack it had emerged from with force, leaving no sign of its earlier presence. Then, all went silent; it dared not resurface. The Ritual Blood Spirit Vine, delayed by the task of fully absorbing the severed root segment, pursued as far as it could until the root vanished into the earth. It was eager to chase further, but Yan Zhuguang promptly recalled it. Though hailed as a top-tier spiritual plant, the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine was still in its nascent sprout stage, relying heavily on Yan Zhuguang’s support to remain active. Uncertain of the conditions beneath the ground, Yan Zhuguang, despite her keen interest in the root, knew better than to allow the Ritual Blood Spirit Vine to charge recklessly ahead. The vine couldn’t stray too far from her without risking some form of harm, which would, in turn, backfire due to their life contract. Gently soothing the reluctant sprout nestling back in her palm, Yan Zhuguang shifted her gaze towards the unusually intact palace. If her hunch was correct... Yan Zhuguang retrieved a previously captured avian beast from her backpack, one she had apprehended near the waters. She knocked it into a semi-conscious state, tracing a bloody line across its body before infusing it with spiritual energy. Then, she cast it into the depths of the palace.