"Lin Yichen."
"Wang Teng."
"Xiao Qingyu."
"Lin Yueru."
"Lu Xiaoyu."
Zhang Ergou shouted the names of his few mischievous friends at the top of his lungs, but only empty echoes answered him.
He had been teleported to a valley, which was lush with vegetation and ancient trees.
Seeing that none of his companions had been teleported to the same location as him, Zhang Ergou stopped calling out.
He began to look around his surroundings.
To his surprise, Zhang Ergou immediately discovered that many rare medicinal herbs were growing there. Su Dan Novel Network
Moreover, these medicinal herbs seemed to be quite old. Large patches of various flourishing medicinal herbs covered the area.
"Qiye Lian..."
"Baise Hua..."
"Tian Bu Lao..."
Zhang Ergou looked at the scene before him in astonishment. In just a short while, he had identified three rare medicinal herbs.
These herbs, which were extremely rare in the outside world, were growing in abundance here.
No wonder the Misty Sect and the Flowing Sea Sect attached so much importance to this secret realm expedition.
Zhang Ergou felt he had already profited immensely just by collecting all these rare medicinal herbs.
"Haha, I'm rich..."
Zhang Ergou laughed loudly, his robber's instincts immediately kicking in. The rare medicinal herbs growing on the ground began to disappear at a visible rate.
However, Zhang Ergou did not put all the medicinal herbs into the storage ring given to them by the sect.
Before entering the secret realm, the Heavenly Dao Elder had gathered the Misty Sect disciples who were about to enter and given each of them a specially made storage ring.
He claimed that these storage rings were crafted from special materials and would not be damaged even by violent impacts or explosions.
He instructed Zhang Ergou and the others to store any treasures they found in the secret realm in these storage rings.
This would greatly preserve the integrity of the treasures.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ergou rolled his eyes in resignation.
It was obvious that the Heavenly Dao Elder was trying to trick them. These storage rings were placed under a special restriction by the Heavenly Dao Elder.
They could only put various treasures into the rings, but they couldn't take them out.
These storage rings were meant to be handed over to the sect after they exited the secret realm.
Zhang Ergou naturally saw through the scheme, but he didn't reveal it. Entering the secret realm was all about luck.
Even Lin Yichen and the others hadn't had a chance to be told about the special nature of these storage rings.
Zhang Ergou only found out because of the reminder from the Snow Mountain Elder.
Looking at the Heavenly Dao Elder's seemingly virtuous appearance, Zhang Ergou felt a hint of resistance towards this so-called sect.
It was clear that the Misty Sect viewed the disciples entering the secret realm as mere tools.
The Heavenly Dao Elder worried that these disciples would hoard the treasures they found, so he gave each of them a specially made storage ring.
However, he didn't tell them the real reason.
He was afraid that these disciples entering the secret realm would develop a sense of resentment.
After understanding the thoughts of the Heavenly Dao Elder and the other elders of the Misty Sect, Zhang Ergou felt a brief disappointment.
But he quickly came to terms with it. People's hearts were unpredictable, and everyone had their own selfish motives.
The Heavenly Dao Elder and the others were also worried that the disciples entering the secret realm would keep all the treasures they acquired for themselves.
Given how much the Misty Sect and the Flowing Sea Sect valued this secret realm expedition,
it was clear that rare treasures existed within it, which led the Heavenly Dao Elder to resort to such measures.
However, even after understanding this, he would proceed as usual.
"Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him."
Zhang Ergou had no intention of sacrificing himself for the development of the sect with such selfless spirit.
"Heavenly Dao old man, you must be disappointed now, right?"
Zhang Ergou looted the medicinal herbs on the ground, collecting them and placing them into the black iron sphere's small world.
The black iron sphere's small world had a vast space and was rich in spiritual energy. Not only would these herbs not spoil after being placed inside,
but they would also continue to grow. This was one of the reasons Zhang Ergou put them in there.
Another reason was that the black iron sphere's small world was something even the Snow Mountain Elder couldn't see through, so it was likely that the Heavenly Dao Elder and the others wouldn't be able to either.
Zhang Ergou felt at ease placing these medicinal herbs inside.
Even if the sect elders came to inspect their storage rings later, they wouldn't be able to discover the herbs Zhang Ergou had pocketed.
"Heh heh..."
Zhang Ergou chuckled as he collected the medicinal herbs. The areas he had passed through looked as if the herbs had never grown there before.
Where Zhang Ergou went, not a blade of grass remained, leaving the ground bare.
After about two hours, about seventy to eighty percent of the medicinal herbs in this area had been collected. Only then did Zhang Ergou begin to collect the remaining herbs and place them into the specially customized storage ring given by the Heavenly Dao Elder.
After all the medicinal herbs on the ground were collected, Zhang Ergou stood up and let out a long sigh.
Just as Zhang Ergou was preparing to leave, a patch of red vegetation in the distance caught his eye.
"Chicken Blood Vine! Haha, it's actually Chicken Blood Vine..."
Zhang Ergou was overjoyed. The valley where he had been teleported was a treasure trove of medicinal herbs. He had first discovered uncommon herbs like Qiye Lian, Baise Hua, and Tian Bu Lao,
and now he had found the even rarer Chicken Blood Vine. Zhang Ergou was ecstatic.
Indeed, this secret realm was extraordinary. He had already reaped so many benefits upon entering, so others must have also gained a lot.
However, Zhang Ergou couldn't concern himself with others at the moment.
Looking at the vast expanse of Chicken Blood Vine growing before him, Zhang Ergou pounced towards it, energetically harvesting the plants.
In the blink of an eye, large quantities of Chicken Blood Vine were collected by Zhang Ergou.
Due to the preciousness of the Chicken Blood Vine, Zhang Ergou did not put a single vine into the storage ring given by the Heavenly Dao Elder.
He placed all the Chicken Blood Vine into the black iron sphere.
Since no one else could discover it, Zhang Ergou wasn't afraid. Moreover, he was alone now, so pocketing treasures wouldn't be discovered.
If he encountered other Misty Sect disciples later, it would be difficult to act stealthily.
Therefore, he decided to strike first.
Zhang Ergou happily collected the large patches of Chicken Blood Vine, one by one, into the black iron sphere.
After he finished collecting all the Chicken Blood Vine from this area, a purple plant growing under an ancient tree caught Zhang Ergou's attention.
"Zi Dan Luo?" Zhang Ergou exclaimed in disbelief. Such a legendary medicinal herb actually appeared here.
Zhang Ergou rubbed his eyes, confirming he wasn't mistaken. It was indeed the legendary Zi Dan Luo, just as described in ancient texts.
Zhang Ergou couldn't believe his luck. He had even encountered a legendary medicinal herb.
However, in his ecstatic state, Zhang Ergou forgot to observe his surroundings.
Perhaps he had encountered no danger while entering the valley and collecting the abundant medicinal herbs.
This had caused Zhang Ergou to let his guard down.
As he approached the Zi Dan Luo growing beneath the ancient tree, a pair of eyes on the tree stared motionlessly at the overjoyed Zhang Ergou...