What do you mean by that? Gu Li embraced An Lu and pressed for answers, his eyes bloodshot. Venerate Spirit Treasure merely glanced at him coldly but said nothing.

Tell me! Gu Li was really about to go mad. An Lu was his life, yet now, this person was saying that if he carried her down the mountain, she was doomed.

He was now overcome with regret. If hed known something like this would happen, no matter how much An Lu begged him, he never, ever would have brought her someplace like this.

Is that how you beg someone? Venerate Spirit Treasure snorted. You lack the strength befitting the Emperor Star, but youve sure got the temper part down.

Venerate, Gu Li is desperate to save her. If you know whats happening, please just say it, said Ye Zichen. He was worried too.

Im still not completely certain, but what I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt is that bringing them down the mountain will kill them. All we can do now is keep moving. Venerate Spirit Treasure looked at An Lu and Pu Jingwan. Theyd best travel separately from the others. We cant say for sure that their symptoms arent infectious.

What do you mean? Gu Li glared.

Theres no need to glower. Im just telling it how it is. Not even the Hermit Emperor can discern the source of their symptoms. I have my suspicions, but I cant prove their veracity. Furthermore, that girl youre holding only started showing signs of distress after getting close to Pu jingwan. Who knows? Their sickness might very well be infectious.

Venerate Spirit Treasures gaze was utterly calm as he continued, They should definitely travel separately from the rest of us. And you, too. Youre holding her so close, you might have already become a vector for disease. Please keep your distance from the rest of us.

Hmph. Even if you hadnt said anything, I have no desire to associate with you. Gu Li gnashed his teeth and carried An Lu to the back of their procession.

After a moments silent contemplation, Ye Zichen went over to join him.

Ye-zi.

Dont come over. Venerate Spirit Treasure is right; we dont know the source of their illness. Besides, were currently in a vicious beast-infested mountain range. If we all get sick, then run into vicious beasts, theres a real risk well all get wiped out. As Ye Zichen said this, he glanced pointedly at Gu Li; he was saying this in part so Gu Li understood Venerate Spirit Treasures intentions.

Those suspected of carrying the illness were to travel separately, at the end of the procession, while those who were still healthy led the way forward.

However.

Monkey. None of them imagined that not long after, the Great Sage developed the same symptoms. But it wasnt just him; even Xuan Ji started showing signs of the same illness.

When their symptoms flared up, even imperial lords collapsed with symptoms similar to altitude sickness.

The Great Sage supported himself with his hands and coughed. Xuan Ji frowned, then sat on the ground, unable to take so much as a single step further.

Pu Jingwan. Just as the group came to a stop, Pu Jingwan, whod been the first to show symptoms, collapsed in a snowbank.

Ye Zichen checked her condition. He could still sense her breathing, but her breath was so weak and shallow it was only barely noticeable.

Even the Hermit Emperor was at a loss. Hed been practicing medicine for hundreds of thousands of years, but hed never once encountered such strange symptoms before.

Venerate Spirit Treasure walked up to Pu Jingwan, then lifted her eyelids. Then, he put his fingers to her neck. Finally, he tore the sleeves of her left arm.

A deep red line snaked up her arm. It had almost spread to her shoulder.

Then, he went up to An Lu and tore her left sleeve off too. She had a similar red line, but hers hadnt spread quite as far yet.

Next, he went to Xuan Ji and the Great Sage. They all had similar marks.

Especially the Great Sage. The red mark was even more severe than Pu Jingwans.

Have you been enduring all this time? Venerate Spirit Treasure looked at him.

The Great Sage said nothing, but it was obvious that he was really suffering. Hed gone from gasping and letting out dry coughs to outright dry-heaving.

Venerate Spirit Treasure, what exactly is happening? The Hermit Emperor couldnt figure out what was happening behind the scenes, but judging from Venerate Spirit Treasures behavior, he knew a little.

Those without symptoms looked over. Venerate Spirit Treasure furrowed his brows, then looked around the group. If Im not mistaken, the problem started on the mountain.

Do we need you to tell us that? snapped Gu Li.

Venerate Spirit Treasure glanced at the infuriated Gu Li. He didnt seem to want to continue, but he was on good terms with the Great Sage. Whenever they had free time, theyd discuss everything theyd learned about treasure-hunting. He didnt care if the others died, but if the Great Sage died too, hed be down a dear friend.

So he directly ignored Gu Li, then turned to Ye Zichen. Given their symptoms, it seems theyve inhaled Thousand Petal Lotus pollen.

Thousand Petal Lotus? The Hermit Emperors eyebrows shot up. It seemed he knew about this flowers existence. But thats used to make medicine. Numerous pills include traces of Thousand Petal Lotus. Ive never heard of it poisoning anyone.

Its true that Thousand Petal Lotus is a medicinal ingredient, said Venerate Spirit Treasure. But how much pollen do you use when refining pills?

The Hermit Emperor was no grandmaster pill refiner, but practicing medicine year round meant he had a decent understanding of pills. He instantly understood what Venerate Spirit Treasure was getting at.

Are you saying theres a path of Thousand Petal Lotuses nearby?

Venerate Spirit Treasure nodded noncommittaly. Thousand Petal Lotuses grow in snowy mountains. A snowy peak beset with blizzards is the perfect environment for them. Furthermore, this is the Transcendent Mausoleum; it only appears before the world once in billions of years. No outside force can destroy the flowers or disrupt their growth. Just how much can a Thousand Petal Lotus patch grow in a hundred million years?

This When he heard it described like this, the Hermit Emperor could imagine entire mountains just covered in flowers.

Thousand Petal Lotuses were a famous, expensive ingredient, and they were used to purify and enhance medicines. Even divine grade medicines would benefit from the inclusion of a trace amount of pollen; it would enhance their purity.

Thats why, outside, Thousand Petal Lotuses were worth cities. Furthermore, supply came nowhere close to meeting demand.

Countless pill refiners dreamed about obtaining them.

In the Upper Three Realms, if someone found even one Thousand Petal Lotus, they could turn their lives around. After selling it, they could acquire enough resources to go from a supreme all the way to a diviner.

It was clear how precious these flowers were.

But the Hermit Emperor hadnt known that, in excessive quantities, this precious pollen was poisonous.

It wasnt that he was ignorant. It was just that, even if you searched throughout the Upper Three Realms, there was now way there were any million-plus-year-old lotuses in pristine, hidden lands to be found. Whenever someone found a lotus, even if it had yet to mature, theyd take it. Theyd even take all the dirt in the surrounding territory if they could.

You still havent said how to save them, said Gu Li.

He didnt give a whit about whether it was a Thousand Petal Lotus or not, or about how valuable an ingredient the lotuses were. All he could see was the poisoned, suffering An Lu. All he cared about was curing her.

The area around Thousand Petal Lotus is also home to a plant called Worry-Alleviating Grass. Its extremely toxic, but if you eat it, you can forget your worries. Of course, the end result is still death. Hermit Emperor, you ought to know about it too. This type of grass is typically picked for use in antidotes, said Venerate Spirit Treasure.

The Hermit Emperor nodded in response. Venerate Spirit Treasure continued, The only thing that can cure Thousand Petal Lotus poisoning is Worry-Alleviating Grass. To survive such a dense concentration of the lotuses, the grass is naturally highly resistant to its pollens effects. Search for it, then feed it to the afflicted. That way, theyll still have a chance of survival. As for where precisely the plants are located, given their symptoms, it ought to be nearby. Search carefully for it.

Ill go now. Gu Li didnt even need to think.

If you go on your own, youre just throwing your life away. Thousand Petal Lotus is a supreme treasure of the Upper Three Realms. Even a single stalk is sure to have a vicious beast guarding it, much less an entire patch. If theres not an entire group of beasts guarding the area, that means whichever beast claimed it is strong enough to protect the flowers on its own. Its cultivation is sure to be quite high.

Venerate Spirit Treasure looked at Gu Li, whod let all the blood rush to his head. Then, he turned to Yang Jian and Ye Zichen. You two should accompany him. The Hermit Emperor and I will stay behind to take care of the patients. But youd best hurry back; Pu Jingwan and the monkey are in particularly bad shape, and they dont have much time left. If the red lines reach their heart, new lotuses will sprout there.

Sprouting new lotuses?

Everyones expressions grew solemn. If Thousand Petal Lotuses sprouted in their heart, no one could save them.

They had to find the Worry-Alleviating Grass as quickly as possible.

Well go right now.

Before you do, leave me with some spiritual recovery medicines. Theyre burning through their spiritual power extremely quickly, and in this frigid climate, without spiritual energy to protect their bodies, the cold will kill them before the flowers get the chance, said Venerate Spirit Treasure.

.

.

.

Yet another vast stretch of ice and snow.

Ye Zichen left practically every divine-grade spiritual recovery medicine he had on hand with Venerate Spirit Treasure. He only had a few bottles left, which hed kept to use himself, just in case.

Yang Jian, Gu Li, and Ye Zichen left the group and searched this endless expanse of snow for the lotuses location.

Based on Venerate Spirit Treasures description, there ought to be a huge patch of the flowers in the area. However, it was still hard to find; this was an ice-covered mountain, an endless sea of snowy white. The flowers, too, were white through and through. The snow served to camouflage them, making them difficult to locate.

We left in too much of a hurry, said Yang Jian. We ought to have asked about how to locate them.

Thousand Petals Lotuses have a unique scent. If theres a whole patch of them, the smell should be quite intense. All we have to do is follow our noses, said Gu Li.

Are you an idiot? Yang Jian rolled his eyes irritably. Listen to this wind! Even if there is a distinctive smell, do you really think we can figure out where its coming from?

Do you have a better idea? Unusually, even though hed just been yelled at, Gu Li didnt fire back.

I. Yang Jian fearfully pursed his lips. People dont usually entrust me with anything that requires using your brain.

Ssh! Before Gu Li could retort, Ye Zichen put his finger to his lips to silence them. Then, he pointed at a spot not too far away, where there was a ten-meter-wide footprint. I think we found it!