Chapter 1386 The Soulbinding Herb
Zack stared at the Formation Crusher in his hand, lost in deep thought for a long time, but in the end, he placed the magical item beside Joshua.
Likewise, Cypress and Gregory, who were standing nearby, did the same.
In pursuit of these three supreme magical items, the eight respectable families had exhausted all their resources, searching for them for more than a decade.
Yet now, when they were within arm’s reach, the three respectable families had all chosen to give up at the same time.
Meanwhile, a sense of relief finally washed over Jonathan.
Just now, relinquishing decision-making authority to the few elderly men from the respected families was actually an act of him avoiding his responsibility.
Joshua fell into unconsciousness, and the world outside was in utter chaos. At this moment, ninety-nine percent of the cultivators who had entered the small world wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
However, Jonathan could not accept the fact he was treating Joshua as a mere tool, even though the two of them initially came together due to mutual interests.
Despite everything, Jonathan still could not bear to treat Joshua as a mere blood essence production machine.
When personal interests encroach upon the boundaries of morality and conscience, people, to maintain their so-called humane side, will subconsciously look past their gains to focus on communal benefits.
This might be where the selfishness of human nature lies—converting one’s own wrongdoing into the collective will’s decision, in an attempt to evade the condemnation of one’s conscience.
If the respectable families chose to control the top-grade magical items themselves, they would be over-drafting Joshua’s blood essence to fight their enemies.
Without Joshua’s autonomous operation and absorption, even if Jonathan discovered a potent medicine with a similar life force, it would be ineffective.
When a person’s life force was depleted to a certain critical point, even the most valuable magical plant could not compensate for it.
The only result is ongoing deterioration until the physical body collapses.
In other words, the respectable families had decided to keep Joshua alive.
With a smile, Graeme observed as the elderly men set down all the magical items.
“Given that everyone concurs on the importance of Joshua’s lucidity, our path is clear. Our immediate task is to rouse Joshua from his condition.” With his hands behind his back, Graeme said with a hearty chuckle. “The Blackwoods primarily specialize in martial arts, and our expertise in medicine is limited. We can offer minor assistance at best. Should you require support in configuring the spell formation, don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. We, the Blackwood family, may lack many things, but we’ll never run out of spirit stones!”
The Blackwoods controlled nearly one-fifth of the spiritual mines throughout Chanaea.
To conceal those spiritual mines, the Blackwood family had developed a profound understanding and practical expertise in arcane arrays.
Otherwise, it would not have been able to deduce the changes in the formation method after discovering the valley that could nourish the spiritual sense.
As Graeme took the lead to speak, the man opposite him, Gregory, also stepped forward. “The leader of the Salladay family is an expert in transfiguration, which gives him an understanding of spiritual senses. However, our expertise has primarily been focused on demon beasts, so our familiarity with cultivators’ spiritual senses is limited. We can attempt to awaken him, but success is not guaranteed.”
Upon hearing Gregory’s words, the lean Cypress on the side immediately let out a snort of laughter. “Oh, please! We all came from the respectable families, and you think we don’t know your family well? The Salladays are renowned for their mastery of the art of transfiguring spirit warriors. In recent years, your activities have been somewhat restrained, focusing primarily on hunting and refining leftover ferocious beasts. This can be attributed to the waning power in Chanaea. High-ranking cultivators mainly come from the eight respectable families and fifteen sects. If this were a hundred years ago, you would likely have captured many of them for your experiments. Are you suggesting that you don’t comprehend human spiritual senses?”
As Cypress was speaking, he flipped his hand and pulled out a jade box from his storage ring.
As soon as the jade box was taken out, a thin mist began to rise from it, which then astonishingly solidified into a layer of delicate frost.
As everyone observed the palm-sized jade box, a sense of intrigue overcame them. Speculation abounded regarding the box’s contents, and they were equally curious about how a jade box inscribed with arcane arrays could emanate such a chilling aura.
Cypress levitated the jade box using his spiritual energy, his expression marked by a sense of reluctance. “I would never have brought this out if it weren’t for the necessity of this situation.”
Cypress looked at the jade box in his hand, then turned to look at Graeme next to him. “Didn’t you say to come to you for matters relating to arcane arrays? Set up one for me that can isolate all forms of energy.”
Graeme had not expected someone to respond to the words he had spoken earlier.
Nevertheless, since he was a senior cultivator who had boldly declared himself in front of so many juniors earlier, he felt the need to prove to the others just how steady he was. “What is it? And what are your requirements for the arcane array?”
Upon hearing this, Cypress pondered for a moment, then slowly began to speak. “Baseless and supportless, matterless and spiritless!”
The simple phrase instantly rendered Graeme speechless.
He immediately grasped the complexity of the arcane array Cypress had requested.
The term “baseless and supportless” signified that no external energy should interact with the medicine within the formation.
On the other hand, “matterless and spiritless” required the medicine to be utterly pure and free from any contamination.
“Baseless and supportless, matterless and spiritless…” Graeme frowned upon hearing those cryptic requirements. “You might as well ask for a space in a vacuum. How on earth am I supposed to find such a space in this wilderness? And even if I manage to create it, how will your medicine defy gravity without any physical support? I know my way around arcane arrays, but we can’t just ignore the laws of science!”
Upon hearing this, Cypress let out a cold snort. “If you can’t handle it, that’s your problem. If you can’t, then stop biting off more than you can chew in the future.”
As the two elderly individuals argued, Zack knitted his brows. “All right, that’s enough. You’ve lived a significant portion of your lives, yet here you are, bickering in front of these young folks. I’m embarrassed for both of you, even if you’re not.”
“Cypress, what exactly is that thing? Why does it require such extreme conditions to reveal it?” Zack continued asking, “If you don’t make things clear, don’t expect others to go to great lengths to set things up for you. I’d also have second thoughts if I were in their shoes.”
As Zack spoke, Jonathan and the others all turned their gaze toward Cypress.
“I’m afraid you might covet it if I tell you.” At this moment, a hint of smugness appeared on Cypress’ face. “This is the Soulbinding Herb, an inheritance from my ancestors. It originates from the land of extremity and grows on countless bodies of living creatures for nourishment. This herb is a product of grudgeful souls but also a supreme treasure for nourishing the spiritual sense.”
Zack and a few other elderly folks felt dizzy after hearing it. Soulbinding Herb?
However, Jonathan was quite familiar with the herb.
This item, one of the rarest great medicines in the world, was documented in the Ancient Sacred Dragon Technique.
Even in ancient times, the herb was already a rare treasure, and in modern times, it had long since become extinct. Jonathan could not believe that the Soulbinding Herb was in their midst. Joshua is such a lucky man.
Seeing the doubtful looks from Graeme and the others, Jonathan stepped forward. “If this thing really is Soulbinding Herb, then Joshua will regain consciousness for sure.”