Chapter 58: Seizing the Elixir, Descending upon the Medicine King Valley, Nie Mie is Driven to Madness-O Grande Imperador do Cultivo Rouba Casamentos: Você Se Acha Engraçado?(Bambu de tinta rugindo)

As Nie Mie's palm brushed against the two sacred herbs, the tiny vial within his body roared.

"Not good, a mighty expert has descended!"

Before Nie Mie could fully process this, a giant hand descended with overwhelming force.

Crack.

Half of Nie Mie's body instantly burst apart into fine dust. Amidst a violent tremor that shook the earth, the vial flew out, instantly shielding the remaining half of Nie Mie's body.

Formation runes spun into motion, attempting to teleport Nie Mie away.

With eyes split wide with rage, his remaining half glared at the sacred herbs, crying out, "No! My sacred herbs!"

"Take the sacred herbs with us!"

*Damn it, how could he be this fast?!* Nie Mie roared inwardly. His sacred herbs, his two precious sacred herbs, must not be lost!

They were the foundation of his very existence, the resources that would propel him from the Spirit Condensation realm all the way to the Saint realm!

He had staked all his resources on these two herbs, and the tiny vial had had to fall into a deep slumber for a long time, all for the sake of these two herbs.

"Ah!! I cannot lose the sacred herbs!!"

Nie Mie roared and shrieked, his remaining hand desperately reaching out to grab the two sacred herbs.

"Heh," a sneer rang out at that very moment. Nie Mie's body shuddered as the vial cried out in anxiety, "Watch out, the newcomer is too powerful."

Nie Mie saw a figure materialize, his eyes splitting with fury. "Ah!! No!"

He let out a miserable scream.

[You have caused the Chosen One Nie Mie to feel immense grievance and rage. You have gained 999,999 Villain Points and 99 years of lifespan.]

Delivering gifts upon your very first meeting, Li Xuan smiled.

Amidst the vial's panic, a ray of divine light shot forth, wrapping around the two sacred herbs.

Li Xuan sneered, "You actually thought you could take the two sacred herbs away right in front of me?"

Li Xuan flicked his finger. *Bang!* The vial trembled, letting out a miserable shriek as a web of cracks spread across its surface.

Nie Mie coughed up a mouthful of blood. Bound by a blood pact, the damage sustained by the vial was directly reflected upon him.

In a split second, the vial grew desperate. A surge of divine brilliance enveloped Nie Mie and instantly vanished.

Within a chamber in Nie Mie's courtyard at the Medicine King Valley, Nie Mie abruptly materialized, collapsing heavily onto the floor, covered in blood. Half of his body was obliterated, presenting a horrific sight.

Deep within his body, the vial was in an even more pathetic state; its surface was dim and covered in fractures.

"Ah!!!"

Nie Mie shrieked, "Dammit, dammit! How could this happen?!"

His body trembled violently, refusing to steady. He had never encountered such an ordeal—someone had materialized in a flash, shattered his body, and with a mere flick of a finger, dimmed the miraculous vial.

"Little Vial, Little Vial, are you alright?" Nie Mie asked in a panic. The vial was his most crucial asset; absolutely nothing could happen to it.

"Not good, I am in a very bad state right now. Not good," came the vial's weak reply, and right then, its voice turned frantic once more.

"He has followed us here!!"

"What?" Nie Mie froze, his expression twisting in absolute, bone-chilling horror. *He followed us here?! This is the Medicine King Valley!!*

He raised his head.

*Rumble.*

The heavens and earth quaked, and the entire Medicine King Valley shook violently. The valley's grand defensive array activated in an instant, only to be instantly obliterated. A giant hand ruthlessly plunged into the Medicine King Valley, reaching straight toward the Solitary Vitality Peak where Nie Mie's courtyard was located. Along its path, countless formation runes shattered, and rays of protective light flickered and extinguished.

"What insolent fool dares to run amok in my Medicine King Valley!"

"Dammit! Where did this lunatic come from!"

A chorus of furious roars echoed. Within the Medicine King Valley, a divine tripod materialized, and countless medicinal spirits surged from its surface, fiercely striking against the descending giant hand.

The giant hand did not budge in the slightest. It lazily raised a single finger and tapped against the divine tripod. In an instant, the tripod shook violently, and all the medicinal spirits flew back into the vessel in disarray.

*Bang!* The divine tripod turned into a streak of light, violently crashing through a chain of mountains within the Medicine King Valley.

The giant hand slammed down relentlessly, causing the valley to shudder once more. Stepping out of his room, Nie Mie witnessed this horrifying scene, his eyes splitting with rage.

*Bang!*

The upper half of Solitary Vitality Peak was cleanly sheared off.

"Audacious!"

A terrifying saintly might permeated the air. The Saint-realm expert of the Medicine King Valley had finally stepped in. First erecting a barrier to protect the valley, he raised his gaze toward the giant hand.

Before he could even strike, the giant hand vanished into thin air.

A voice echoed across the realm: "A disciple of the Medicine King Valley, Nie Mie, slaughtered my clansmen, destroyed my spiritual vein, and plundered my sacred herbs. This matter is far from over. Hand over Nie Mie, and I shall let the rest go unpunished."

Nie Mie's eyes split open, streams of blood flowing down to the ground.

*How arrogant!* No, the corners of Nie Mie's eyes literally tore. This was a deliberate move to leave him with no place in the Medicine King Valley, even if the valley refused to hand him over.

Given how many people had died in the valley because of this incident, he would inevitably become the target of public animosity!

Especially since the valley was currently holding the Ninth Lineage Successor Assembly.

"The Li family... The Li family's patriarch! So ruthless! How utterly ruthless!"

Nie Mie gnashed his teeth until they nearly cracked. Raising a hand, he forced down an entire sacred herb. He had survived, but Solitary Vitality Peak was ruined!

The entire upper half of the peak was gone, and everyone living up there had been the elite experts of the Solitary Vitality Peak!

He finally understood. It was the Li family! The Li family's patriarch! He had merely killed a few Li family members and destroyed a single spiritual vein, yet the Li family patriarch had personally intervened with such overwhelming force!

And what about him? He had lost two sacred herbs!

Those were his entire life savings! *Dammit! Dammit all!*

The Li family! The Li family patriarch!

As Nie Mie chewed on the miraculous herb, his eyes turned bloodshot. Beneath his feet, a teleportation rune activated; he was preparing to flee the Medicine King Valley at a moment's notice!

"What a fine 'let the rest go unpunished.'" The Saint-realm expert of the Medicine King Valley chuckled—a laugh born of pure fury. Summoning the divine tripod back to his hand, his gaze narrowed as he spotted a crystal-clear fingerprint deeply indented upon the surface of the sacred vessel!

"Heh, it seems your Medicine King Valley remains obstinately blind. Very well..."

The voice faded away. The Saint-realm expert flew up into the sky, his brow furrowed deeply. He could not trace even the slightest lingering aura of the attacker.

Nie Mie let out a breath of relief. It seemed the Li family patriarch had departed. His legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.

"Dammit! Li family patriarch, I will never let you off! I will never spare the Li family!"

Nie Mie growled in a low voice. His losses this time were astronomical, truly catastrophic!

Not only had he lost two sacred herbs and sustained severe injuries, but the tiny vial had also been beaten to the brink of shattering.

To top it all off, he had been hunted all the way back to the Medicine King Valley by the Li family patriarch. When had he ever been driven to such a pathetic state?!

"The Li family!"

Gnash of teeth, Nie Mie listened as the tiny vial suddenly spoke, "My injuries are quite severe; I must enter a deep slumber for a period of time. You must win the Ninth Succession title this time. If you can gain access to the Medicine King Valley's medicinal pool, I might be able to awaken ahead of schedule."

Nie Mie froze, listening to the vial's weak voice. The vial pushed out a few remaining miraculous herbs before falling into a soundless, profound sleep.

Nie Mie felt his eyes split with fresh blood. He coughed up another mouthful, nearly driven to madness.

He had thought everything was foolproof, but in the end... it was all reduced to feathers and ashes!

The Li family! The damned Li family patriarch!!

Back in the Medicine King Valley, the Saint-realm expert returned, leaving behind a single sentence: "Bring Nie Mie to see me."

Hearing this, Nie Mie's heart skipped a beat, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. He instinctively touched his chest—*No, the Saint expert must not discover the existence of the vial.* Fortunately, the vial had fallen into a deep slumber.

Because of this, even if a Saint-realm expert inspected his body, they would fail to detect the vial's presence.

Had the vial not fallen asleep, he would have had to conceal it elsewhere.

Nie Mie opened his mouth and spat out yet another mouthful of blood, wiping his lips. The Ninth Successor position—he had to secure it at all costs!

***

Deep within the subterranean cavern of the Li family's spiritual vein.

Amidst a chaotic pile of rubble, Li Xuan walked forward, surveyed the debris, and raised his hand to collect the two sacred herbs. He then drew the Emperor of Humanity Sword. The golden sword's profound Dao intent blossomed, instantly enveloping the remains of the fallen Li family disciple.

Faintly, the silhouette of the Li family disciple materialized within the blade of the Emperor of Humanity Sword, vivid and lifelike, looking up in bewildered awe.

Li Xuan put away the sword, lowered his gaze to the flesh and blood of Nie Mie scattered on the ground, and smiled faintly.

At that moment, a figure materialized. "Well, well, well! To think these are two sacred herbs—hand them over!"

Outside, one figure after another appeared in quick succession.

They were all powerful experts lured in by the aura of the sacred herbs.

Li Xuan remained expressionless. With a gentle wave of his hand, the burly man who had just stepped into the cavern instantly turned into fine dust.

Those outside who witnessed this scene turned around and fled without a single moment of hesitation. A few hesitated for a fraction of a second, but their expressions froze, and their bodies jerked backward. A thin line of light materialized before them; the one who failed to retreat in time was sliced neatly in half.

Night Qingcheng materialized out of thin air within the cavern. Seeing this, she clicked her tongue in wonder. "You're supposed to be a Human Emperor, yet you're so ruthless."

Li Xuan's expression remained calm. "When I live, all living things thrive; when I die, all living things perish."

Night Qingcheng froze, momentarily speechless. *Taixuan's lifespan is truly running out!*

Between life and death lies immense terror!

Ignoring Night Qingcheng, Li Xuan extended his hand slightly. Under her astonished gaze, a human figure began to coalesce from the blood and flesh on the ground, transitioning from an illusory phantom into solid reality.

Li Xuan looked at the newly formed figure with satisfaction. "You delivered such a generous gift to me; how could I not return the favor? Off to the Medicine King Valley with you."

The figure, an exact twin of Nie Mie, dropped heavily to its knees. "Understood, Master!"

Li Xuan nodded slightly. The aura was identical, the Dao intent was identical, the physical body was identical—how could this possibly *not* be Nie Mie?

[You have struck terror into the Chosen One Nie Mie. You have gained 999,999 Villain Points and 99 years of lifespan.]

"Go on."

The Medicine King Valley's Ninth Lineage Assembly... When the time comes, having two Nie Mies should be quite a spectacle. Heh.