Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 82 - Medicinal Field

Once the illusion array was broken, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, since they hadn't received clear instructions from Zhou Yi, no one dared to move recklessly.

"Alright, now that the array within the array has been broken, you can move, but be careful," Zhou Yi wiped the sweat from his brow and waved his hand, collecting everything.

Having broken two major formations, with each one more formidable than the last, Zhou Yi was greatly drained, nearly suffering from a backlash. Fortunately, the person who set up the array mainly intended to protect the area and did not harbor much malice. However, Zhou Yi also gained a lot from this, as such experiences were invaluable. It even provided significant insights for creating new formations. Once he returned, the first thing he wanted to do was to use this precious experience and inspiration, which might lead to unexpected surprises.

With Zhou Yi's reassurance, the group finally relaxed.

"Boss, Third still hasn't woken up!" Zhou Ren adjusted Zhu Qing, who was still unconscious on the ground and furrowed his brow after a quick check. "Do you think Third is going to be okay?"

Logically speaking, after the complete illusion array was broken, Zhu Qing should have woken up too. But Zhu Qing had been trapped too deep in the illusion for too long, and his vitality had clearly been severely drained, leaving him still unconscious.

Zheng He stepped forward, took a pill from his storage bag, and, feeling somewhat reluctant, placed it in Zhu Qing's mouth. The pill's effects were potent. In no time, the previously unconscious Zhu Qing gasped sharply and finally opened his eyes.

"Boss?... why are you guys here?" Zhu Qing was awake, but his mind hadn't fully escaped the illusion yet. Suddenly, his eyes turned bloodshot as he seemed to recall something, and he shouted in panic, "Ah! What's going on? Didn't I ascend to immortality? Wasn't I the supreme ruler of the entire immortal realm? Why is all that gone? What's happening? How did I end up..."

"Stop it! Ascend to immortality? Supreme ruler of the immortal realm?" Zheng He angrily slapped Zhu Qing on the head. "You useless fool! You almost lost your life, trapped in an illusion! And here you are daydreaming about such nonsense!"

Poor guy. He had just used his only top-tier Nourishing Essence Pill, originally intended for his next closed-door cultivation session, only to waste it on the unreliable Zhu Qing.

"An... illusion?" Zhu Qing's face turned green and then purple, finally coming to his senses after Zheng He's slap and harsh words. He deflated like a balloon, muttering, "It was fake... everything was fake... how could it be fake..."

"Third, you really need to toughen up. If my brother hadn't broken the array quickly, you'd almost have died in there." Zhou Ren chimed in, "Stop thinking about nonsense. Focus on your recovery and don't waste the Nourishing Essence Pill the boss gave you."

Hearing the words "Nourishing Essence Pill," Zhu Qing finally realized he had just barely escaped death. If not, the boss wouldn't have given him such a precious pill. "Boss..."

After all these years of dragging his brothers down, Zhu Qing suddenly felt a deep sense of shame. He wasn't stupid; though the illusion array was powerful, it was clear that the person who set it up had no intent to kill. If his mental fortitude had been slightly stronger or his cultivation higher, he wouldn't have ended up nearly trapped to death.

If it weren't for Second Brother breaking the array just in time and the boss sacrificing his only Nourishing Essence Pill, he would have perished here.

"Alright, stop calling me 'boss' every second. Do you think that top-tier Nourishing Essence Pill was a freebie? You better figure out a way to pay me back, or I'll deal with you!" Zheng He pried off Zhu Qing's hand, stepping far away in disgust. They were all grown men, after all. Why cling to him so tightly? It's not like he was a pretty young girl.

"Oh, don't worry, boss! I'll definitely pay you back!" Zhu Qing glanced at the others and then at himself, for the first time realizing just how vast the gap between them had become. He felt embarrassed even calling himself a Golden Core cultivator, as he was weaker than a Foundation Establishment female cultivator.

Sigh. If things continued like this, he was doomed. As the boss said, relying on shortcuts would only lead to a dead end. Watching the interaction among the group, a smile unconsciously spread across Zhang Yiyi's lips. These seemingly unrefined individuals were far more genuine and loyal than those hypocrites with grand appearances.

After a short rest for about half an hour, Zhu Qing had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. Without further delay, the group pressed on. This time, pushing open the door to the cave residence went smoothly, without any further trouble.

Guan Shu led the way, Zhou Yi followed, Zhou Ren brought up the rear, and Zhang Yiyi was asked to stay behind Zheng He. After walking through a long passage, the space ahead finally opened up, becoming bright and expansive.

"Whoa! This place is a paradise! Second, am I seeing things? Did I trigger another illusion array?" Zhu Qing, seeing the dense spiritual energy and the picturesque scenery before him, slapped his face and rubbed his eyes vigorously, afraid he might have triggered another array.

"No, it's all real." Zhou Yi confidently reassured him, equally entranced by the beauty in front of them. Jia Fang had certainly found a perfect place to establish his cave residence. No wonder, even after his ascension, two powerful formations remained outside, guarding this spot.

"It's been thousands of years, and the two arrays outside still function perfectly. It seems this place is built upon a significant spiritual vein." Zhang Yiyi marveled at the thought, admiring the late Senior Jia's taste.

A place as serene as this was just one of his many cave residences. What must his other homes look like?

"Indeed. Judging by the spiritual energy here, the formations inside this cave could easily continue operating for another ten thousand years." Zhou Yi reminded them, "Everyone, be careful. There's likely plenty of good stuff here, but it won't be easy to obtain."

After recalibrating their direction, the group headed straight for the main path. Based on the information they had previously gathered, they had already identified the most valuable areas within the cave.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a sizeable medicinal field. Due to years of neglect, the field was clearly abandoned. The owner had likely harvested it before leaving, as no rare spiritual herbs were visible, only a few scattered common medicinal plants that had continued to grow on their own.