After disappearing for ten years, the junior sister made the entire sect kneel down to welcome her.

"Let's go! This mountain is about to awaken!"

Although the three elders' spiritual power was sealed and the chains on their collarbones were bitten off, their wounds were still bleeding and they moved slowly. Elder Zhou staggered two steps and almost fell down, Elder Sun gritted his teeth and supported him, while Elder Qian forced himself to steady himself with a breath of true energy.

Luo Huanzhen simply unfurled the Ten Thousand Demon Banner once more.

"Momo, come out again!"

Three ancient demons roared and charged out. This time, instead of gnawing on the chains, they each grabbed an elder by the back of his collar and dragged him out like he was a chick.

"I can do it myself!! I am, after all, a Nascent Soul stage elder—" Old Qian felt extremely embarrassed as a ferocious-looking ancient demon grabbed him by the back of the neck, and his face immediately turned red.

"Enough talk, Elder. Escaping is the priority!"

Luo Huanzhen took the lead and rushed out of the pill cave.

Behind him, the entire mountain trembled.

The cave walls began to shrink at a visible rate, and dense, dark red patterns appeared on the originally rough stone surfaces, pulsating like blood vessels and radiating scorching heat.

The air was filled with a strong, sweet, fishy smell, quite different from the usual fresh scent of herbs and trees in Medicine King Valley.

"What...what strange thing has happened at Alchemy Mountain?!"

As Old Qian was carried by the ancient demon and flew through the air, he caught a glimpse of the cave passage behind him rapidly closing in. Thick liquid seeped from the shrinking rock walls, dripping onto the ground and hissing and smoking, and it was extremely corrosive.

"I don't know! This is my first time visiting your Medicine King Valley!"

Luo had only one thought in his mind: escape from the unknown monster!

The instant the ancient demon dragged the three of them out of the cave entrance, the entire Alchemy Mountain let out a deafening roar—

"Waaaaah—!!!"

The sound was deep and long, shaking the entire mountain and causing all the trees to explode outwards, branches to break and fly everywhere, and leaves to turn into fragments all over the sky.

The tree shadows that were originally just swaying in the wind on the surface of the mountain now revealed their terrifying true nature—the roots of all the ancient trees on the mountain were deeply embedded in the mountain's belly. It turned out that the entire Alchemy Mountain itself was a huge body, and these trees were just the hairs growing on its body.

The group landed safely on the open plain at the foot of the mountain. The three ancient demons released their mouths and gently put the three elders down. They turned to face the alchemy mountain behind them, which was twisting and deforming, and let out a fierce roar.

Luo Huanzhen turned around and looked at her, his pupils suddenly contracting.

The continuous mountain range slowly rose upwards, like a giant trying to stand up from the earth.

"We can't stop, we have to retreat further!"

She waved the Myriad Demon Banner again, and the three ancient demons immediately understood, grabbing the three elders by the collars and taking off into the air, flying swiftly towards the distant mountain peaks.

They sped along until they were completely out of the reach of the Alchemy Mountain, landing halfway up an unnamed small peak next door. Only then did Luo Zhenhuan raise his hand and recall the three ancient demons into his banner.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Old Qian could no longer hold on. His knees buckled and he fell heavily to his knees. The torn wound on his collarbone pulled at his meridians, causing him to tremble all over in pain, and cold sweat streamed down his wrinkles.

Both Mr. Zhou and Mr. Sun collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted, their breaths weak, and they didn't even have the strength to lift their hands.

Luo Huanzhen quickly took out a white jade porcelain bottle from his storage bag and poured out several round pills.

"The three seniors first took the medicine to stop the bleeding from the wound."

These were healing pills she made herself. Although their medicinal effects couldn't compare to the top-grade life-extending pills given to her by her master, Yun Yao, they were more than enough to stabilize her current serious injuries.

Old Qian took the pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it. The warm medicinal power spread through his throat and into his limbs and bones, and his pale face finally eased a little.

He leaned against the thick tree trunk, catching his breath, and his first words were filled with urgency: "Sect Leader Luo, you just said that Ru Mei is still alive, is that true?"

Luo Huanzhen squatted down in front of him and nodded seriously.

"Elder, although I don't know where you learned that Sister Mei is dead, it's false. Sister Mei is not only alive, but she has also broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, the same level as Liu Ruoci. She has returned this time to reclaim Medicine King Valley and kill that ungrateful wretch."

Old Zhou, his hands trembling, grabbed Luo Huanzhen's sleeve: "But...but I saw it with my own eyes..."

Old Zhou recounted, in fits and starts, what the three of them had witnessed that day.

Luo Zhen finally understood why the three elders who were lying in ambush had suddenly been exposed. However, if it were him, he certainly wouldn't have been able to tolerate it either. So, he reassured the three of them by telling them the truth again.

All three of them are medicine practitioners.

Since this area would not be affected by the Alchemy Mountain for the time being, the three elders told Luo Zhenhuan not to worry about them. They said that once they had calmed down and stabilized their injuries, they would go and lead the team to help.

Luo Zhenhuan nodded.

Alright, she'll go check on the situation at the Alchemy Mountain.

……

From afar, the giant alchemy furnace in the center of the mountain came to life, capturing and feeding the panicked cultivators it was trying to capture.

Fortunately, Luo Zhen had previously broken its sharp teeth, and without the fangs binding them, all the cultivators who had been swallowed into the furnace mouth desperately tried to climb out again.

People were being stuffed in on one side, but others were leaking out on the other.

To be honest, it's kind of funny.

However, although this mutated alchemy mountain cannot completely swallow and refine people, it is huge and wanders around Medicine King Valley with its feet treading unevenly. If you are not careful, it will trample innocent cultivators. Moreover, it secretes poison from its body.

If we accidentally step on or gamble on that traitor Liu Ruoci, that would be fine, but if we accidentally hurt Liu Rumei, Xiaomei, or any of our own people, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Once he made up his mind, Luo Huanzhen immediately attacked the mountain.

But when fists, feet, and spells landed on the mountain, it was as if they were striking a lifeless, unfeeling object.

This monster exists somewhere between a living being and a dead machine; ordinary physical attacks are simply ineffective in completely killing it.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Luo Zhenhuan was truly at a loss.

"Since we can't kill it, we might as well put it into the Myriad Demon Banner and move it away." After thinking this through, Luo Huanzhen raised his hand to summon the banner, ready to take action.

At that moment, a figure appeared silently beside her.

"let me."

Dressed in purple robes and wearing a bamboo hat, her clothes swirled in the wind.