C7 They Took the Spirit Medicine

Zhang Lieh couldn't help but laugh, "Wang Xiaohua, aren't you a bit too persistent? Wasn't yesterday's lesson enough for you? And now you've brought a whole crowd with you?"

"Zhang Lieh has been quite bold lately, even daring to strike our team members. Does he have a death wish?"

"Can you believe it? The perennial loser dares to pick on Xiaohua. Are you trying to turn the world upside down?"

"If we didn't show up at your doorstep, did you think you could just push Xiaohua around without any consequences?"

Wang Xiaohua's teammates began jeering at Zhang Lieh, who remained cool and detached. "You're reaping what you sow. If you can't control your own barking dog, why complain about the noise?"

"Hey, you have the nerve to talk back when you're being scolded? Do you really think you're something special? Xiaohua blocking your path was a courtesy, and not only did you not appreciate it, but you also had the audacity to hit him. How do you plan to make amends?"

Wang Xiaohua is one of Qin Xiaotian's people, and as the captain, Qiu Changming naturally had to show some deference.

"I've heard you've been racking up quite a body count with those White Fluid Insects, amassing a hefty sack of cores. What is it, around fifty or sixty thousand points? Hand them over, and I might just graciously allow you to walk away."

Zhang Lieh chuckled, "Oh, is this a hold-up?"

"Robbing you? We're doing you an honor by robbing you. You should be on your knees, grateful for the attention, got it?"

Qiu Changming was brimming with arrogance, and those passing by the base entrance began to gossip and point.

"Haha, the eternal bottom-dweller is done for this time. Last time Xiaohua went after him, he had the nerve to fight back. Outside of him, who doesn't have a few teammates? To fight one is to offend an entire team."

"Xiaohua's teammates are all top-tier with their mutated genes, ranking within the top two or three hundred on the Genetic Rankings. Offend them, and it looks like our bottom-dweller is as good as dead."

Zhang Lieh narrowed his eyes and retorted, "What if I refuse, you bunch of jesters?"

"Hey, you perpetual bottom-dweller, you're really bouncing around today. Looks like it's time for a good lesson!" Qiu Changming stood with the air of a king, as if Zhang Lieh was nothing more than an ant beneath his grasp. But in the blink of an eye, as his words hung in the air, Zhang Lieh struck.

"Smack... Smack... Smack!"

Stacking Waves Three Palms!

Like lightning, three palms struck Qiu Changming's chest in rapid succession. Qiu Changming, too caught up in his own arrogance, was sent flying.

"Captain!" His teammates finally reacted, roaring as they closed in.

But who was Zhang Lieh? He had already planned his escape route the moment he launched his attack. With a forceful push, Origin Power surged like waves beneath his feet.

Wave Treading Step!

The Gale Wolf Soul Jade activated, amplifying his power as Zhang Lieh stepped on the waves, his body swirling with the wind, creating a series of afterimages as he dashed past the tumbling Qiu Changming.

He had seized the initiative. With the Wave Treading Step and the amplification from the Soul Jade, he vanished before their eyes in a swift motion.

So fast was his escape that the others, even if they gave chase, could only trail behind in his dust, with no hope of catching up.

Wang Xiaohua shrieked in frustration, "Ah! Zhang Lieh! If you're so brave, then stop! What kind of man runs away?"

But Zhang Lieh was no fool; he wasn't about to stop. All they could do was watch helplessly as he disappeared from view.

Was Zhang Lieh afraid of them? Not in the slightest. With his current genetic prowess and combat experience, handling a few youngsters would be effortless. But he didn't want to reveal his full capabilities.

His recent move had already shown a glimpse of his power, but it wasn't earth-shattering.

Besides, the tasks he had ahead were of a highly secretive nature, and he didn't want to draw undue attention that might lead to complications.

Choosing to conceal his strength and lay low was clearly the best strategy for now.

With the Insect King Soul Jade activated and his body clad in silver glass armor, Zhang Lieh made his way to the first medicinal herb gathering site.

Medicinal herbs, or more aptly termed super spiritual herbs, thrive in the vast expanse of the Void Realm. This realm not only nurtures a plethora of unusual Genetic Beasts but also harbors innumerable unique plants. These plants, endemic to the Void Realm, boast flowers, fruits, and even roots brimming with extraordinary and potent properties.

The Void Realm has been explored for less than a century. While our understanding of it evolves daily, our use of these spiritual herbs is still in its infancy. The rise of alchemists is anticipated to be a decade away, and the development of corresponding medicinal formulas, including powerful healing and enhancement potions, such as the Limit Medicine, is projected to take another twenty years.

Beyond the known reaches of the Void Realm lie the Second and Third Realms, and beyond them... To bolster the survival capabilities of Genetic Warriors, mastery of these medicinal formulas is imperative for future generations.

As someone reborn, Zhang Lieh's most prized possession is the knowledge of these groundbreaking potion formulas. To craft these elixirs, he must gather spiritual herbs, particularly the super spiritual varieties. His first destination for collection is Blood Crystal Valley—a place far from ordinary, teeming with Bloodthirsty Ants that have made it their lair.

These Bloodthirsty Ants, a type of Mutant Gene Life, can ingest copious amounts of flesh and blood, assimilating ten Mutant Gene Counts. The Soul Jade they produce, known as the amplification type berserk class, empowers its bearer to momentarily exert a level of terrifying strength that surpasses their Genetic Count.

Super Gene-level Bloodthirsty Ants are among the creatures Zhang Lieh is determined to eliminate in the Void Realm. The formidable power released by the Super Bloodthirsty Berserk Soul Jade poses a rare threat to Heavenly Calamity Level beings.

In the Void Realm, Zhang Lieh's ultimate ambition is to slay a Heavenly Calamity Level creature that has fortuitously breached the barrier from below. However, with his current combat prowess, he has no plans to confront other super creatures, especially not those of the Heavenly Calamity Level. With merely ten points of Super Gene, attempting to take down super creatures with formidable combat abilities would be tantamount to suicide.

Previously, Zhang Lieh managed to defeat the Silver Liquid Jade Worm King, a notably feeble specimen among super creatures. Yet, facing a genuine super creature is a challenge he is currently ill-equipped to meet.

Additionally, Bloodthirsty Ants typically lurk deep within their nests. Zhang Lieh lacked even the capability to encounter them, much less hunt them down.

His primary mission upon entering Blood Crystal Valley was, of course, to gather medicinal herbs. However, if circumstances allowed, he would also collect gene points and possibly Mutated Bloodthirsty Ant Soul Jade.

Blood Crystal Valley, despite its name, was essentially a mountain of jagged red crystals. This crystalline mountain was riddled with caves of all sizes.

Hanging from the cave entrances were several red, root-like structures. These were Zhang Lieh's targets, known as Blood Divine Whiskers. They resembled red icicles more than plants. In reality, they were a yet-to-be-discovered type of spiritual medicine and the key ingredient in Zhang Lieh's primary concoction.

The reasons for the obscurity of this medicinal herb were twofold, presenting the significant challenges Zhang Lieh was about to confront.

First, the caves served as thoroughfares for the Bloodthirsty Ants. With the ants constantly coming and going, an approach would inevitably provoke an attack.

Second, Bloodthirsty Ants were highly social insects. A single alarm from an ant could swiftly summon a swarm to encircle and eliminate any threat.

In combat, the mutated Bloodthirsty Ants were as large as small Earth dogs, with formidable jumping power and claws stronger than standard alloy weapons.

In prolonged battles, these ants could unleash their innate gene skill, the Blood Boiling Technique. Once activated, they would become impervious to pain and enter an unstoppable frenzy, hence their bloodthirsty moniker.

Typically, gene hunters from the Void Realm would only dare to hunt a few scattered Bloodthirsty Ants around the fringes, reluctant to delve deeper.

Most gene hunting teams even deemed the inner reaches of Blood Crystal Valley off-limits.

For Zhang Lieh to attempt entry with his current level of combat prowess would be tantamount to a death wish. Nonetheless, his presence here indicated he had a strategy in mind.

Zhang Lieh did not directly enter Blood Crystal Valley; instead, he ascended a mountain on the valley's edge.

Atop the flat summit, Zhang Lieh spread his arms and activated the Insect King Soul Jade, transforming it into a glider suit. He then activated the Mutated Gale Wolf Soul Jade and leaped into the abyss.

The sleek glider suit granted Zhang Lieh the ability to soar. The swirling winds around him significantly accelerated his glide.

Coupled with his excellent body control and the timely release of glass-like threads from his hands, Zhang Lieh resembled a swift bird, spiraling down around the blood crystal mountain at breakneck speed.

As he spiraled, he deliberately skimmed the tops of some caves, effortlessly collecting numerous Blood Divine Whiskers in the process.

Despite being under attack, Zhang Lieh was well-protected by the glaze armor created by the Insect King Soul Jade.

In their non-frenzied state, the Mutated Level Bloodthirsty Ants struggled to penetrate Zhang Lieh's armor.

However, once lifted off the ground, they emitted a distress signal, triggering a massive swarm of Blood Crystal Ants to erupt from their nests, plunging the entire Blood Crystal Valley into turmoil.

Fortunately, Zhang Lieh had anticipated this. After his descent, he didn't even pause to remove the few Mutated Bloodthirsty Ants clinging to him, instead dashing out of the valley entrance.

The Bloodthirsty Ants' strong sense of territory meant that once Zhang Lieh was out of Blood Crystal Valley, the pursuing swarm retreated as quickly as it had appeared.

The few ants that remained on Zhang Lieh, however, did not make it back, falling victim to his prowess.

Regrettably, aside from yielding twenty Mutant Genes, these Mutated Bloodthirsty Ants did not produce any Soul Jade.

Having secured the Blood Divine Whiskers, Zhang Lieh returned to the flat peak. The haul of over thirty whiskers from this venture was proof positive that his strategy was effective.

Yet, the ant swarm's reaction was more intense than Zhang Lieh had predicted. He had only expected a single nest to react, not an all-out upheaval of the entire valley.

Given the situation, Zhang Lieh naturally refrained from taking any reckless actions and instead kept a close watch on the state of the Bloodthirsty Ants in Blood Crystal Valley.

As it turned out, the Bloodthirsty Ants didn't make any superfluous moves. Once they had driven off the intruders, they began to return to their nest en masse.

Within about half an hour, Blood Crystal Valley had returned to its former state.

It was at this point that Zhang Lieh rose to his feet, readying himself for a second attempt at gliding. His first try hadn't been particularly efficient in gathering resources.

This time, however, he was armed with prior experience. His technique would surely be more polished, and he was confident that he would be able to gather a greater quantity of Blood Divine Whisker.