54 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Half-Summer Novel Chapter 54 On the sparse grassy plains, where the light alternated between a deep green and a pale cyan, the luminescent glow danced and shimmered continuously, illuminating the entire area with an extraordinary brightness. It was unclear how much time had passed, but the deeper and lighter shades of green surged violently before gradually subsiding into silence, restoring peace to the whole area. Having absorbed more energy, the Blood Sacrificial Spirit Vine completed its breakthrough ahead of Yan Zhu Guang. Without its master's command to suppress it, the vine twisted in the air, diving into the large pit left by the disappearance of the needle-like spirit plant below. As for Yan Zhu Guang, she had just finished converting the last trace of energy to her own use and began to consolidate her cultivation level. Once all the energy had calmed, Yan Zhu Guang had successfully advanced to the late stage of foundation building. In merely two or three days, she had leaped two levels from the early stage of foundation building to the late stage. Such a rapid advancement was astonishing in the realm of cultivation. What's more, despite the fast breakthrough, her cultivation level did not seem obviously unstable. Once she fully stabilized her power, even that slight instability disappeared altogether. How could this not be surprising? Yan Zhu Guang herself didn't see anything unusual about it. She was, after all, living her life anew, and it would be strange if her speed was only on par with ordinary cultivators. Were that truly the case, she would likely be mortified. After spending a few days fortifying her cultivation and ensuring all newly acquired spiritual energy was solidified, Yan Zhu Guang finally opened her eyes. A glint of emerald flashed in her gaze, and the aura around her surged briefly before settling completely. Yan Zhu Guang placed a Purification Talisman on herself, cleansing away the impurities she had expelled earlier. With her body refreshed, she stood up, stretched her limbs, and even performed a series of unfamiliar martial arts moves, fully activating her remolded physique. "Congratulations, host, on your great advancement in cultivation!" The system exuberantly showered the space with virtual confetti. Though the process seemed painful and nerve-racking, the results were exceedingly gratifying—undoubtedly a cause for celebration. "Hm," Yan Zhu Guang responded lightly. "With your enhanced strength, host, my sensing range has also increased somewhat. Would you like me to search for Senior Sister's whereabouts again?" Yan Zhu Guang replied, "Give it a try." Her breakthrough had taken quite a while, and she was curious about her whereabouts and whether her senior sister had come looking for her. Having delayed on this grassland for so long, without knowing Senior Sister’s location, haphazardly searching for her might lead to them inadvertently missing each other. The safest approach was to remain here and wait for Senior Sister to arrive. Moreover, the most formidable needle-like spirit plant here had already been eliminated, meaning no immediate dangers loomed. Waiting here was indeed a sound decision. After a moment of silence, the system suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Host, host, I found her!" "Where?" "Heading from the direction of the waters," the system informed excitedly. "Senior Sister is riding a cloud toward this direction. She should arrive in about half a day." Riding a cloud...so Senior Sister's cultivation must be restricted. Yan Zhu Guang nodded. She glanced around, contemplated briefly, and gestured, causing the remaining grass blades on the plaza to rise. They wove together in mid-air to form a massive emblem of Fenghua Immortal Sect. She commanded it to float in the air, ensuring that as Senior Sister approached, it would be visible at first sight. Having accomplished this task, Yan Zhu Guang leapt from the plaza and, with a few strides, reached the spot where the massive needle-like spirit plant had once stood—the location now marked by a gaping chasm in the palace floor. "Host, what are you looking at?" Yan Zhu Guang surveyed the interconnected pit. "The Blood Sacrificial Spirit Vine hasn't resurfaced yet." But it is the host's lifebound spirit plant; can't you summon it back? Nonetheless, the system refrained from voicing this thought and instead asked, "What has the vine gone to do?" Yan Zhu Guang did not respond immediately. After a moment, she said, "It's coming!" No sooner had she spoken, a tremor began to rumble, causing dry soil to slide downward. Soon enough, a hint of green emerged in the pit below—a vine, as tall as a human, twisted into a mass as it rushed out, dragging something behind it resisting desperately, attempting to escape its grasp. However, having absorbed the power of the needle-like spirit plant, the vine's strength had increased exponentially. Despite being only a small segment, its strength was formidable, not easily broken free. The Blood Sacrificial Spirit Vine dragged the entire object out, showing its cleverness by hauling it onto the plaza. Yan Zhu Guang followed closely. The moment the vine released its grip, the remaining grass blades on the plaza converged from all directions, firmly restraining the entity. The emerald vine spun jubilantly in the air before flying back to Yan Zhu Guang’s side. It shook its body, shrinking to finger length, curling around her wrist to resemble a crystalline bracelet adorned with a leaf. Yan Zhu Guang stroked the newly sprouted leaf and approached the entity still writhing against its restraints of grass blades. The system sighed lightly. How poignant for beans to be boiled with the fire of their own stalks. What the Blood Sacrificial Spirit Vine had dragged out was indeed a root stem of the needle-like spirit plant. The needle-like spirit plant was quite clever, knowing to sacrifice its main body in a last-ditch effort to preserve a glimmer of hope for itself. Unfortunately, this root stem couldn't escape the Blood Sacrificial Spirit Vine's detection. Even though it tried to sneak away, it was still captured. Having devoured an entire needle-like spirit plant, the vine's power was temporarily satiated, yet this greedy little entity refused to let the last piece escape, dragging it back for Yan Zhu Guang to store as a reserve ration. Naturally, Yan Zhu Guang accepted graciously, tossing the root wrapped in grass leaves into the system's storage. After having decisively dealt with the needle-like spirit plant, Yan Zhu Guang had no pressing matters. She sat cross-legged to acclimate to the new intensity of spiritual energy within, patiently awaiting Yun Mi Xue's arrival. Perhaps it was the conspicuousness of Yan Zhu Guang's giant Fenghua Immortal Sect emblem that expedited Yun Mi Xue's journey. In less than half a day, she arrived at the peculiar grassland. "Zhu Guang." The gentle, familiar voice resonated nearby. Yan Zhu Guang opened her eyes, beaming brightly at Yun Mi Xue as she descended gracefully from above. "Senior Sister." Blinded momentarily by such a dazzling smile, Yun Mi Xue noticed that even after a few days apart, the already brilliant Zhu Guang seemed even more radiant. Yun Mi Xue, light as a cloud, landed softly beside Yan Zhu Guang, stretching out her hand to the cross-legged Yan Zhu Guang on the plaza. "I've found you, Zhu Guang." Yan Zhu Guang looked at the ivory fingers extended before her and reached out to grasp them. With a gentle pull, she lost her balance and stumbled forward into the familiar warmth of an embrace. Yun Mi Xue wrapped her arms tightly around Yan Zhu Guang's back. "Next time you encounter a teleportation array, don't carelessly hand me the map," she said, her voice relaxing after being taut, "Even if it's just for safekeeping against loss or damage during transmission, Senior Sister would prefer you to have an extra layer of security, understand?" Yan Zhu Guang nestled closer into Yun Mi Xue's embrace, raising her head to meet Yun Mi Xue's eyes. "I've memorized all the content on that silk. It's naturally more useful for Senior Sister to hold onto the actual map." "Couldn't Senior Sister then follow its markings to find me?" Yun Mi Xue playfully tapped Yan Zhu Guang's forehead. "Really, you're that confident in your memory?" Yan Zhu Guang chuckled. "It's just a map; what's so hard about memorizing it? Besides, I don't have to remember much—just one landmark is enough." "Didn't Senior Sister promise to come find me? I have faith in you." With Yan Zhu Guang expressing such thoughts, what more could Yun Mi Xue say? "Alright, alright. Our Zhu Guang is so thoughtful. Senior Sister praises you, okay?" Yan Zhu Guang pondered for a moment, her eyes mischievously darting before nodding, "Sure, I accept." "Little rascal," Yun Mi Xue tapped her head again, "you had to think about it before accepting?" Burrowing further into her arms, Yan Zhu Guang murmured, "Senior Sister is the best." Gently stroking Yan Zhu Guang's hair, Yun Mi Xue finally felt a weight lift off her chest. After leaving the densely layered mountain range, she had ventured onto the endless waters. The vast expanse seemed almost directionless. Only after searching countless islands did Yun Mi Xue find her way here. Upon spotting the giant Fenghua Immortal Sect emblem, a rush of anticipation swelled within her heart. The symbol, wrought from grass and suspended above, must have been conjured by someone with control—a likely indication of Yan Zhu Guang, a wood-attribute cultivator herself. Hastening her pace, she soon arrived at the emblem's location, where she spotted Yan Zhu Guang seated in meditation amidst the ruins of the plaza. Not bothering to assess the surroundings, she prioritized ensuring Yan Zhu Guang's safety. Gathering Yan Zhu Guang into her arms and using spiritual energy to scan her health, Yun Mi Xue breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that not only was she unharmed, but she had also grown stronger. Yun Mi Xue released Yan Zhu Guang and glanced around the area. "You've made significant progress in this secret realm, Zhu Guang. It's been only a few days, and you've already reached the late stage of foundation building." Recognizing the solidity of Yan Zhu Guang's power, Yun Mi Xue didn't reprimand her despite her rapid progress. She was merely curious about what Yan Zhu Guang had experienced. The chaotic surroundings bore witness to the fierce battle that must have transpired here, suggesting the magnitude of what had taken place. "There used to be a peculiar mutated spirit plant here. It cleverly disguised itself with soil to look like a ruined palace, luring people in and then swallowing them whole." Observing the strange mounds of earth, Yun Mi Xue could imagine what the animated plant must have looked like. "For a plant to possess such intelligence, it must have been incredibly perilous." Yan Zhu Guang chuckled, "I wasn't in any danger. I realized something was wrong from the start. If you want to talk danger, it was more dangerous for the plant." She pointed to the emblem still floating in the sky. "Those grass leaves are what I harvested from it." She gestured toward the large pit and pulled out the remaining root stem from her bag to show Yun Mi Xue. "Enough, enough," Yun Mi Xue said, stopping Yan Zhu Guang as the stem continued its lively writhing, "put it away quickly." Yun Mi Xue was merely relieved that Yan Zhu Guang was unharmed and had no intention of prying any further. Yan Zhu Guang put the root stem away again. "By the way, did you come across anything unusual during your journey here, Senior Sister?" "There was indeed one place..."