I am in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have a demonic beast clone!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Becoming an Apprentice of Li Huayuan!

The appearance of Xiang Zhili was merely a minor interlude in this grand drama set in the forbidden area.

The light at the entrance to the passage continued to flicker.

Several more figures staggered out, some from Spirit Beast Mountain, some from Giant Sword Sect, and some from Heavenly Palace Fortress. They were all in a sorry state, some even with broken arms and legs. It was a miracle that they were alive.

Zhou Ding's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on a figure staggering out.

Zhou Long.

He was disheveled, his clothes were torn, his face was pale with the aftermath of a disaster and fear, and there was still lingering sorrow in his eyes.

Zhou Xue's death was clearly a huge blow to him.

But he is still alive, and he walked out of that hellish place alive.

Zhou Ding's gaze swept over him without any expression.

By saving his life, I have severed all ties with the Zhou family.

……

Time continued to pass.

On the other side of the Hidden Moon Sect, the atmosphere had become extremely tense.

To this day, not a single disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect has emerged.

The smile vanished from Qiong Laoguai's face. His usually carefree eyes narrowed slightly as he stared intently at the entrance to the passage, motionless.

The Fairy in Rainbow Robes was even colder than ice, her jade hands clenched so tightly in her sleeves that her knuckles turned white.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Hidden Moon Sect behind him all had solemn expressions and remained silent.

If all fifteen elite disciples were wiped out...

No one can afford the consequences.

In this heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere—

The entrance to the passageway was radiant with light!

More than a dozen figures filed out!

The leader, dressed in white, floated barefoot, her beauty as exquisite as a fairy in a painting, her temperament as aloof as Chang'e in the moon palace—it was none other than Nangong Wan.

Her expression was calm, and her aura remained perfectly concealed, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Behind him followed twelve disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect, each with a look of relief at surviving a calamity, yet also displaying the composure expected of elite disciples.

The fairy in the rainbow dress finally relaxed her tense face, revealing a relieved smile.

Old Monster Qiong reverted to his usual carefree and irreverent demeanor. He crossed his legs, pulled a gourd from his waist, and leisurely took a sip.

"I knew it! How could my Hidden Moon Sect be completely wiped out?"

……

Time passed by, second by second.

Fewer and fewer disciples are emerging.

Finally, as the light at the entrance of the passage completely dimmed, slowly closed, and ultimately vanished into nothingness—

The Bloodstained Forbidden Zone trial has officially ended.

Of the disciples who survived, there were no more than sixty in total from all the sects.

There were nearly two hundred people when they went in, but only a third of them came out.

This is the Bloodstained Forbidden Land.

This is the cruelty of the cultivation world.

"Alright, the forbidden area is over."

Old Monster Qiong jumped down from the boulder, dusted himself off, and squinted as he swept his eyes over the disciples of the three sects: "It's time to take stock of the spiritual herbs. The bet should also come to a conclusion."

The cultivators from the three factions gathered and began to inventory the spiritual herbs.

The Qingxu Sect started first.

A Foundation Establishment stage deacon held a jade book, calling out names one by one and recording the medicinal herbs.

"Li Yong, a disciple of the Qingxu Sect, obtained a two-hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng, a three-hundred-year-old Purple Monkey Flower, a one-hundred-and-twenty-year-old Jade Marrow Fungus... a total of five!"

"Zhang Yuan, a disciple of the Qingxu Sect, obtained one 200-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit and one 150-year-old Mysterious Ice Grass... a total of three!"

"Wang Jing, a disciple of the Qingxu Sect, has obtained..."

Disciples of Qingxu Sect stepped forward one after another, each with three to five spiritual herbs. Occasionally, a group with seven or eight herbs would attract everyone's attention.

Fu Yunzi's expression was calm, but there was a hint of confidence in his eyes.

His Qingxu Sect was well-prepared this time, and his disciples were of excellent quality. This harvest should be enough to rival Huangfeng Valley.

Next up is the Hidden Moon Sect.

Nangong Wan was the first to step forward.

With a gentle wave of her jade hand, a pile of spiritual herbs poured out of her storage bag. A quick glance revealed more than twenty of them, all of which were quite old, including four or five rare specimens that were four hundred years old!

The entire audience gasped.

"The disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect obtained four 300-year-old Purple Monkey Flowers, three 350-year-old Jade Marrow Fungus, and two 400-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruits... a total of twenty-three plants!"

Twenty-three plants!

One of them is worth more than half of the disciples of Qingxu Sect!

Fu Yunzi's expression changed slightly.

Li Huayuan frowned deeply.

But what terrified them even more was yet to come.

Several more disciples from the Hidden Moon Sect stepped forward, each carrying a dozen or so plants, which piled up like a small mountain.

"Zhao Ling of the Hidden Moon Sect has obtained... a total of seventeen plants!"

"The Hidden Moon Sect's money and jade have been obtained... a total of fifteen!"

"Yue Zongsun Ya, obtained... a total of nineteen plants!"

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the total number of spiritual herbs of the Hidden Moon Sect has steadily surpassed that of the Pure Void Sect, and even left the Yellow Maple Valley far behind!

Fu Yunzi's expression changed completely.

Li Huayuan's face was ashen, like the bottom of a pot.

At this rate, Huangfeng Valley is doomed to lose!

Just then—

It was finally Huangfeng Valley's turn.

The disciples ahead of them had mediocre results, mostly around three or four trees, which was similar to that of the Qingxu Sect.

Upon inventory, the total number of spiritual herbs in Huangfeng Valley was even less than that of Qingxu Sect.

Li Huayuan's face grew increasingly dark.

Fu Yunzi's lips began to curl upwards.

Old Monster Qiong leisurely sipped his wine, his eyes full of smugness.

until--

"Zhou Ding, a disciple of Huangfeng Valley."

Zhou Ding took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Old Monster Qiong leisurely sipped his wine, his eyes full of smugness.

until--

"Zhou Ding, a disciple of Huangfeng Valley."

Zhou Ding took a deep breath and stepped forward.

He knew that at this moment, countless eyes were fixed on him.

Without hesitation, he picked up the storage bag, opening it downwards—

slam-la-

A mountain of medicinal herbs poured out!

Purple, red, cyan, gold... various colors of spiritual light intertwined, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire area. The pure spiritual energy even made those who were close by feel refreshed!

The entire room fell silent!

Everyone, including the well-informed Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, stared wide-eyed at the scene before them in disbelief.

How many plants would that be?

The deacon in charge of the inventory bobbed his Adam's apple, then squatted down with difficulty to begin the count.

"Twelve purple monkey flowers."

"Eight Heavenly Spirit Fruits."

"Seven Jade Marrow Fungus".

"Four 300-year-old blood ginsengs."

"Three plants of the 350-year-old Mystic Ice Grass."

"Two 400-year-old He Shou Wu plants."

"..."

The counting continued for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before finally ending.

The steward stood up, his voice trembling slightly: "Yellow Maple Valley Zhou Ding, a total of... seventy-two!"

Seventy-two plants!!!

This number struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone's minds!

What is your personal best record in all the trials of the Crimson Forbidden Zone?

Forty-two plants!

That was a record set fifty years ago by a genius of the Hidden Moon Sect, and no one has been able to break it since.

Now, an unknown disciple of Huangfeng Valley has produced seventy-two spiritual herbs, breaking this long-standing record in one fell swoop!

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"Seventy-two plants! Has he gone mad?!"

"How is this possible?! How could he have found so many medicinal herbs all by himself?!"

"Cheating! It must be cheating!"

"Bullshit! This is a forbidden area, with spirit beasts exploring it. Who would dare cheat? Do you think the restrictions are just for show?!"

Zhou Long stood in the crowd, staring intently at Zhou Ding as if he had seen a ghost.

His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

This cousin of mine... how... how does he have so many miraculous herbs?!

What exactly did he experience in the forbidden area?!

Li Huayuan was stunned at first, then a surge of joy welled up from the bottom of his heart and rushed straight to the top of his head!

He suddenly stood up, burst into laughter, and couldn't stop laughing!

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, looking at Zhou Ding as if he were looking at a rare treasure!

But the surprises weren't over yet.

Next--

"Han Li, a disciple of Huangfeng Valley."

Han Li stepped forward calmly, took out his storage bag, and poured it out.

Dozens more medicinal herbs!

Although not as shocking as Zhou Ding's story, it was still enough to make everyone present gasp in shock once again!

"Seven Purple Monkey Flowers, five Heavenly Spirit Fruits, four Jade Marrow Fungus... a total of twenty-two plants!"

Twenty-two plants!

This number would be enough to put you in the top three in any trial!

Today, two of them appeared in Yellow Maple Valley at the same time!

One has seventy-two plants, and the other has twenty-two plants!

The two of them together made a total of eighty-four plants!

The gains of the disciples from Qingxu Sect and Yanyue Sect were utterly insignificant compared to those of the two!

Fu Yunzi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

The smile on Old Monster Qiong's face froze completely.

Li Huayuan couldn't stop smiling.

"Very good, very good!"

He strode forward, patted the two men on the shoulder with such force that they almost fell over: "You two did a fantastic job!"

He turned to look at Fuyunzi and Qiong Laoguai, his smugness evident: "Fuyunzi, Senior Qiong, you two have lost this bet."

Fu Yunzi's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Old Monster Qiong narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Zhou Ding with a hint of scrutiny and a touch of amusement.

Zhou Ding's heart tightened.

Being stared at like that by a late-stage Core Formation cultivator was ten times more terrifying than facing the Ink Dragon!

He remained focused, motionless and silent, not daring to even let his eyes flicker.

"snort!"

Old Monster Qiong snorted, but did not make things difficult for him.

With a flick of his sleeve, three shimmering silver talismans flew toward Li Huayuan—the three "Invisible Needle Talisman Treasures."

"Take it! I, Qiong, am not so stingy as to renege on my debt!"

Li Huayuan was overjoyed and quickly took it, putting it into his pocket.

Fu Yunzi reluctantly took out the Blood Thread Dragon's inner core from his bosom and tossed it to Li Huayuan.

His face looked worse than if he had swallowed a fly.

Li Huayuan took the inner core, feeling the immense demonic power and bloody aura within, and felt extremely refreshed.

During this trip to the forbidden area, he not only made a fortune, but also gained two disciples with amazing potential, Zhou Ding and Han Li!

Worth it!

Too much value!

He looked at Zhou Ding and Han Li, his face full of smiles: "Zhou Ding, Han Li, I have a prior statement—whoever helps me win the bet, I will accept as my nominal disciple. After you two successfully establish your foundations, you can formally join my sect and become my personal disciples."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two men: "Are you two willing to become my disciples?"

These words caused an uproar in the room!

Countless envious and jealous gazes shot towards Zhou Ding and Han Li like sharp arrows!

A personally taught disciple!

That's a direct disciple of a Core Formation cultivator!

It means that after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, you will have a powerful backer; it means that your resources, cultivation methods, and guidance will far exceed those of ordinary disciples; it means that you can reach the top in one step!

Zhou Long looked at Zhou Ding with a complicated expression, his eyes filled with bitterness and confusion.

He thought of his sister Zhou Xue, who had perished in the forbidden area, and of his own miserable and desperate journey, before looking at Zhou Ding's current glory and honor.

Why is there such a big difference between the two members of the Zhou family?

Zhou Ding, however, paid no attention to the stares of others.

He was overjoyed inside, but remained calm on the surface.

This was exactly the result he had secretly hoped for before entering the forbidden area!

Having become a direct disciple of a Core Formation cultivator, he was no longer the rootless, drifting scion of a lowly noble family in this vast Yellow Maple Valley!

Without hesitation, he bowed deeply, his voice clear and firm: "Disciple Zhou Ding greets Master!"

Han Li glanced at him and immediately followed, saying, "Disciple Han Li greets Master!"