Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The herb garden where Yunxi and Yi Azhu are on duty is located on the southern slope of the outer mountain of Laoshan. It is a natural herb garden exclusively for the outer disciples. Situated in a sunny, gently sloping valley surrounded by shadowy bamboo forests to the east of the spiritual spring, it is a rare and beautiful place in the outer mountain.

Surrounded on three sides by gently sloping spiritual hills, backed by the perpetually misty Misty Cliff, and facing the murmuring Qingling Stream, this place naturally forms a small basin that gathers spiritual energy, firmly locking the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the valley. A ring of light blue stone pillars marks the perimeter of the garden, inscribed with the ancient words "Laoshan Herb Garden, No Unauthorized Entry," creating a tranquil and secluded paradise.

Stepping into the Spirit Herb Garden, a rich fragrance of herbs and plants wafts through the air, mingled with a gentle spiritual energy; a single breath brings a sense of clarity and tranquility. Neat rows of bluestone furrows line the garden, where first and second-tier spirit herbs flourish. Dewdrops glisten on the leaves of the Dew-Gathering Grass, while the Awakening Flower is adorned with pale purple petals. Layers of green spirit leaves form a verdant wave, swaying gently in the breeze, causing dewdrops to fall with a soft, rustling sound. Deep within, a rare spirit garden, enclosed by bluestone, is gently irrigated by a trickle of spiritual spring water. Ice Soul Flowers gleam with a soft, white light, and Purple-Veined Mystic Ginseng takes root in the fertile soil. Interspersed among these are a few spirit cypress and snow willow trees, their branches spreading out, casting dappled shadows.

Colorful warblers often hop among the branches, and golden-crowned snowbirds flutter their wings across the flowerbeds, their clear and melodious chirping echoing through the valley, adding to its vitality. At dawn and dusk, a light mist hangs in the air, the spiritual energy transforming into a faint haze. Sunlight pierces through the mist and sprinkles onto the spiritual herbs, shimmering with delicate spiritual light, like a paradise on earth, untouched by the harshness and shadows of the outer mountains.

Yunxi led Yi Azhu into the spirit herb garden, their steps piercing the morning dew. The plants here possessed a gentle, enduring spiritual energy, perfectly suited to Yi Azhu's water-spirited nature. In no time, a faint glow enveloped Azhu, her small face radiating relaxation. Following the steward's instructions, the two tended to the outer dew-covered grass field, their fingertips lightly brushing the blades of grass with delicate, graceful movements.

"Sister Yunxi, listen, there seems to be a strange cry over there."

Yi Azhu suddenly stopped what she was doing, her brows furrowing slightly. Her Water Spirit Body activated automatically, capturing every subtle sound within a hundred feet. She raised her hand and pointed to the depths of the Spirit Herb Garden, to the grove of shadowy bamboo, its leaves a deep green, its branches lush and verdant. Her tone carried a hint of worry.

At the boundary between the bamboo forest and the spirit garden, the once lush spirit herbs were trampled into a mess, the soil was churning, and a faint, mournful cry could be heard. It was not like the joyful song of spirit birds, but rather it was filled with heavy fear and pain.

Yunxi instantly lost her gentle aura, her fingertips resting on the hilt of her sword, a faint glimmer of sword intent emanating from her, and she said softly, "Azhu, stay where you are, I'll go take a look."

She walked slowly towards the bamboo forest, her steps light and steady, always on guard. Yi Azhu, worried, clutched the Warm Soul Pearl and followed cautiously behind.

The closer one gets to the bamboo forest, the cooler the air becomes, the medicinal fragrance fades, and a faint, putrid smell is mixed in, which is completely out of place with the pure spiritual energy of the herb garden.

"Golden-crowned Snowbird?" Yi Azhu exclaimed softly.

At the edge of the bamboo thicket, a pure white spirit bird lay sprawled in the mud, its left wing a bloody mess, a few golden feathers stained with dark green blood, barely clinging to life. It was the Golden-crowned Snowbird, the guardian spirit bird stationed in the spirit herb garden. This bird was exceptionally intelligent, able to warn of evil and protect the spirit herbs; it was always extremely spiritual, yet now it trembled violently, crying out incessantly, clearly on the verge of collapse.

"It's badly injured!" Yi Azhu rushed forward, not daring to touch the wound. She activated her water spirit body, releasing gentle and pure spiritual energy to lightly cover the spirit bird's wound, trying to prolong its life.

Yunxi bent down to examine the wound, her brows furrowed: "The wound carries a chilling, turbid aura, extremely corrosive. It wasn't caused by an ordinary demonic beast; it's more like... an injury inflicted by something evil."

Before he finished speaking, Lin Yan appeared outside the bamboo forest. He was on duty at the spirit spring and noticed the unusual movement of spiritual energy in the spirit herb garden. He also sensed that A-Zhu's water spirit fluctuations were panicked, so he rushed over and witnessed the scene.

"What happened?" Lin Yan approached, his gaze falling on the Golden-crowned Snow Sparrow, his expression slightly somber.

"Brother, we found an injured snow sparrow. Its wound is strange; it's emitting a foul odor," Yi Azhu said softly, looking up.

Lin Yan nodded, his fingertips gathering pure spiritual energy to probe the wound. The moment he touched it, the dark green turbid energy suddenly surged back, cold and foul-smelling, with extremely strong corrosive power. The Azure Sea Emperor's spiritual light within his dantian instantly surged spontaneously, isolating this turbid energy from the outside.

"It's a bone-corroding foul odor. The spiritual veins of Laoshan are pure, and it's absolutely impossible for such evil things to arise on their own." Lin Yan's eyes were solemn as he looked into the depths pointed out by the spirit bird. He saw that in the deepest part of the bamboo forest, vines were entwined and fallen leaves were piled up. A hidden crack was seeping out wisps of gray-black turbid air. Wherever it passed, the green grass withered and turned black instantly, and the spiritual energy dissipated.

The Golden-crowned Snowbird seemed to sense Lin Yan's discovery. With its last bit of strength, it cried softly towards the crack in the ground, its wings trembling as it pointed in that direction, its eyes filled with fear, clearly warning that this place was fraught with danger.

Lin Yan quietly spread his divine sense, cautiously probing several feet into the crevice in the ground. Suddenly, he encountered a violent and twisted malice, and a cold, fishy smell rushed towards him.

The next second, from the depths of the crevice, a pair of dark red vertical pupils suddenly opened! A piercing shriek broke through the crevice, and a strong, foul wind swept out. A monster more than half a zhang long, shaped like a lizard, covered with sticky, rotten bone armor, suddenly leaped out, its mouth full of sharp teeth dripping with putrid saliva, and pounced straight at the unsuspecting Yi Azhu, its speed as fast as a ghost!

"Ah Zhu, watch out!"

Yunxi's expression changed, and her sword flashed, its sharp energy aimed straight at the monster's head. But the monster's body was slippery, and it suddenly twisted its body to dodge, only having its tail tip severed. It immediately let out an even more ferocious roar, its turbid energy surging, becoming even more vicious.

Lin Yan took a step forward, protecting Yi Azhu behind him. He gathered pure water-elemental spiritual energy in his palm, drawing upon the pure spiritual energy of Qingling Creek and the Spirit Herb Garden to form a thick water wall that blocked all the turbid air.

"This is the Bone-Eating Nether Lizard, which feeds on the turbid energy of spiritual veins and destroys pure spiritual power. It shouldn't be appearing in the outer mountains of Laoshan," Lin Yan said in a deep voice. "Beneath the fissure in the ground, there must be a broken ancient restriction, hiding even more ferocious creatures. If we don't deal with it, it will surely become a great calamity."

The Bone-Eating Lizard roared and pounced again. Lin Yan no longer held back, secretly drawing upon a wisp of the pure water essence of the Azure Sea Emperor. Pure water spiritual power is most effective against yin, turbidity, and evil, and he gently pressed his palm against its head.

With a hiss, black smoke billowed from the lizard's body, and it let out a series of mournful screams. The turbid energy in its body was instantly purified, and its body stiffened as it fell to the ground, motionless.

Yi Azhu quickly continued to channel her energy to heal the Golden-Crowned Snow Sparrow. The sparrow's breathing gradually stabilized, and it weakly rubbed against her fingertips before looking at the crack in the ground and letting out a low cry, warning of the hidden danger below.

Lin Yan stood beside the crevice and looked down. The crevice was dark and deep, with turbid air constantly gushing out. From the depths, an ancient and cold tremor could be faintly heard, as if something far more terrifying than the ghost lizard was slowly awakening under the restriction.