53 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

### Chapter 53 The system carefully examined the situation, finally pinpointing the source of its unease: the host's personal sprout—no, the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine seedling was missing! Its attention shifted to the newly reconstructed palace made of needle-leaf spirit plants. Could it be...? The system silently mourned for the fearsome spirit plant. Facing a host as cunning as this one, its demise wasn't without reason. After all, its owner had fattened it up so. The system knew its host's personality all too well; she was the epitome of opportunism. If the spirit plant's roots hadn't been profitable for the host, she wouldn't have spent so much time and spirit stones meddling in the palace. Otherwise, its ostensibly omnipotent host would certainly have found another way to escape. This time, the system guessed right. Yan Zhu Guang indeed had tampered with the needle-leaf spirit plant. Was it fair for the spirit plant to ambush her, but not for her to retaliate? Yan Zhu Guang tested the fallen grassy leaves on the plaza. Once separated from the main body, they retained their toughness but no extraordinary power. Based on her estimation, the unique energy was concentrated in the roots, likely a deliberate design by whoever cultivated the spirit plant. She realized this after the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine had a "tussle" with those roots. It was clear that the needle-leaf spirit plant's roots were very sensitive, so the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine could not attack directly. Unlike its roots, however, the primary body of the needle-leaf spirit plant lacked such acute perception. Yan Zhu Guang used formation magic to cut the leaves, not only to deplete the plant’s energy and weaken it but also to dull its senses. This created chaos, allowing the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine to invade stealthily through the plant’s severed parts. With closed eyes, Yan Zhu Guang felt the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine's activity. It had slipped in through the cuts, silently weaving through the expansive plant. Under her control, the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine released toxins gradually, circulating them through the plant's body as it roamed, waiting patiently for the venom to saturate. Guided by her subtle instructions, it ventured towards a surge of energy. Her thoughts quickened as she directed it towards that pulse. Suddenly a massive force struck, crumbling the once calm “palace” as the needle-leaf spirit plant went into a frenzy, seemingly provoked. Yan Zhu Guang raised a brow, urging the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine to speed up. In response, the needle-leaf spirit plant began self-destructively shedding its leaves. It had become aware of the intruder. Attempting to halt the invasion with leaf loss was futile against the nimble Sacred Blood Spirit Vine. The vine swiftly advanced, unimpeded by the plant's defensive attempts. Yan Zhu Guang soon sensed it reach an area dense with energy, reminiscent of the roots where she first felt it—which was even more abundant now. Feeling instances of excitement even she couldn't suppress, Yan Zhu Guang struggled to control the eager Sacred Blood Spirit Vine. With it as the fulcrum, a large burst of toxin swiftly coursed through the plant's vibrant internal fluids, spreading everywhere. Opening her eyes, Yan Zhu Guang observed the once-vibrant plant visibly change color, turning from lush green to an eerie dark hue as if illuminated by a macabre glow. The Sacred Blood Spirit Vine then gaped open, sucking the life essence from the sprawling plant, which shriveled into a brittle husk before collapsing entirely. Eventually, even those remnants vanished, leaving only piles of earth where the majestic palace once stood, devoid of the previous aggressive foliage. From the rubble, a tiny glowing sprout rose, enveloped in green luminescence that suddenly exploded outward, sweeping across the entire palace area. Even Yan Zhu Guang couldn't help but shut her eyes. Simultaneously, she grimaced, stifling a groan as a powerful wave of energy surged into her. The overwhelming force wreaked havoc on her meridians, shattering them from within. The energy funneled through the life bond, relentlessly tearing through her, leaving her tormented body in disarray. The system watched, feeling unable to bear it, ultimately ceasing its monitoring of her condition. Yet, Yan Zhu Guang made no sound beyond her initial groan, maintaining composure with only flushed cheeks and cold sweat betraying her strain. Of all the hosts the system had seen, she was the only one worthy of its admiration. Grimacing against the persistent tearing of her meridians, Yan Zhu Guang mustered her internal wood elemental energy, invoking her body's restorative powers. As her meridians reconstructed, they became broader and more resilient but still struggled under the energy's pressure. She daringly absorbed the external energy directly to strengthen and quicken her recovery. Thus began a cycle of breaking and mending, transforming her body completely as residual toxins and impurities were cleansed away with each refining cycle. When her meridians finally reached adequate robustness, Yan Zhu Guang ceased her risky practices, allowing the energy to flow through her refining cycle. The influx of pure wood spirit energy intertwined with the toxin-infused spirit energy in her core, drastically enhancing her own energy. Her technique whirred to life, and before the energy had fully integrated, Yan Zhu Guang's cultivation ascended to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. The swelling energy suggested another imminent breakthrough to the late stage. Meanwhile, the toxic spirit energy shared by the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine also fostered growth in her spiritual roots. They showed significant advancement towards toxin affinity. Now, nearly twenty percent of Yan Zhu Guang’s wood-affinity roots had converted to toxin affinity, approaching the threshold of full transformation. As Yan Zhu Guang continued her breakthroughs, the Sacred Blood Spirit Vine, bolstered by the absorbed energy, also matured. The fledgling sprout grew several feet in length, resembling a true “vine,” adorned with paired leaves distributed in symmetrical grace. The only reminder of its prior state was its unchanged deep cyan hue, persistent despite its evolution. With both master and spirit pet advancing, the domain previously dominated by the needle-leaf spirit plant fell into serene silence, its peculiar luminescence marking its extraordinary nature. Yet, while Yan Zhu Guang experienced her rebirth, what of Yun Mi Xue in the secret realm? In another zone of the realm, amid vast green mountains stretching endlessly, where windless tranquility prevailed, leaves atop the trees stirred subtly, casting shadows forming a formless silhouette. Looking skyward revealed a singular cloud—a stark contrast against the endless clear blue expanse of the secret realm’s heavens. This cloud ought not to have been present, for it was in fact the conveyance of Yun Mi Xue. Yun Mi Xue followed the map provided by Yan Zhu Guang, searching through various locations marked by symbols. This peculiar secret realm not only restricted her spiritual senses but also suppressed her power to the late-stage of the Golden Core level. Despite possessing Nascent Soul-level strength, she was unable to teleport, use her spiritual perception, or even fly, relying instead on cloud-riding techniques for travel. Before her imminent separation from Yan Zhu Guang, Yun Mi Xue had attempted to return the silk cloth Yan Zhu Guang had stuffed into her grasp. However, they were abruptly separated by the teleportation array before she could. Now, Yun Mi Xue could only proceed as swiftly as possible to locate Yan Zhu Guang, a task significantly hampered by her suppressed spiritual perception. However, considering Yan Zhu Guang's astuteness, wherever she was, there would likely be some unusual commotion indicating her presence. Thus, Yun Mi Xue didn’t need to search every inch meticulously. Riding her cloud across the mountain ranges, Yun Mi Xue fended off attacking beasts and prepared to move on. While passing through a dense, shadowy forest in a secluded valley, she briefly sensed a familiar aura, fleeting and soon impossible to pinpoint. That feeling... Yun Mi Xue hovered above the valley momentarily, hesitating before ultimately deciding to leave. The mountains would remain, but Zhu Guang alone was vulnerable. She couldn't neglect finding Zhu Guang; it was imperative to locate her first. Calculating her current position in her mind, Yun Mi Xue proceeded towards the nearby water regions.