TL: Etude
As time passed, the number of divine herbs in the herb garden dwindled, gradually plucked by the True Monarchs.
Soon, the final divine herb also fell into the hands of one of the True Monarchs, marking the temporary conclusion of the struggle for the herb garden—though not a true end.
Swish, swish, swish! One by one, the True Monarchs flew toward the outside, showing no intention of exploring other areas of the Dao Field.
Though the interior of the Dao Field undoubtedly held more opportunities and treasures, these True Monarchs dared not continue their exploration. They feared that if fighting broke out, they would become mere cannon fodder.
Having secured some divine herbs already, they felt more than satisfied.
Thus, they hurried to leave the area.
However, they underestimated the greed of others.
After these True Monarchs left, another group of powerful True Monarchs, along with a few True Monarchs from the rankings, followed in pursuit.
It was clear that these stronger True Monarchs had set their sights on the divine herbs in the possession of the departing ones and intended to hunt them down.A battle was imminent!
Ye Tian and a few other Half-Step True Ancestors, however, had no interest in hunting down other True Monarchs. Doing so would tarnish their reputation if word got out.
Moreover, they had obtained a large quantity of divine herbs and lacked any need to seize more.
Had Ye Tian truly cared nothing for his reputation, he would have chosen to monopolize the herb garden earlier instead of agreeing to share it.
It was evident that many True Monarchs would meet their end today.
“I managed to gather 29,500 divine herbs this time, though it’s slightly less than I expected!” Ye Tian inspected his collection of divine herbs and thought to himself.
Originally, he had estimated he could gather over thirty thousand herbs—but that was the most optimistic scenario.
In reality, as more and more True Monarchs flooded into the herb garden, his haul inevitably shrank.
Still, 295 herbs were a tremendous fortune, far exceeding the net worth of an ordinary True Ancestor. Even some impoverished Dao Ancestors would find it hard to ignore such a fortune.
“The greatest opportunities lie deeper within the Dao Field. No matter how precious divine herbs are, they only serve to shorten cultivation time—they can’t elevate one to True Ancestor or Dao Ancestor status!”
Ye Tian reflected silently.
He wasn’t the only one with this thought—many other True Monarchs shifted their attention toward the inner regions of the Dao Field.
The herb garden lay within the Dao Field, and a passage led deeper into other areas. However, since the herb garden was a key location, it had been sealed off by restrictions.
To enter the other regions, the restrictions had to be broken; otherwise, no one could access the deeper parts of the Dao Field.
Although the barrier between the herb garden and the other areas was weaker than the defensive formations surrounding the Dao Field’s perimeter, it was still formidable.
Even after countless years of neglect, which had somewhat weakened the barriers, they remained far from fragile.
Boom!
True Monarch Seafall and a few other Half-Step True Ancestors attempted to strike the barrier, but they failed to break through.
The expressions of these Half-Step True Ancestors changed.
If they couldn’t shatter the restrictions, they wouldn’t be able to enter the Dao Field or obtain the opportunities within.
In ancient battlefields, Dao Fields were either intact and entirely inaccessible or destroyed, with all treasures and opportunities already looted by the victors of the past battles.
A Dao Field like this one, with only a slight spatial tear, was exceedingly rare.
This was a rare chance to obtain the inheritance of a Dao Ancestor—one they couldn’t afford to miss!
Seeing this, Ye Tian also stepped forward to attack the barrier, hoping to open the passage to the other areas of the Dao Field. Yet, despite his efforts, the restriction remained unbroken.
After some calculations, he concluded that even if he unleashed his full strength and coordinated with the other True Monarchs, they still wouldn’t be able to break through the barrier.
The Dao Field belonged to a Dao Ancestor, and all the restrictions within it had been set up by the Dao Ancestor, making them impossible for mere True Monarchs to break.
After pondering for a while, the True Monarchs came to the conclusion that there were only two possible solutions.
The first option was to invite a True Monarch skilled in formations and restrictions to try and unravel the array. However, this option was unreliable—after all, the formation had been laid by a Dao Ancestor. Even if the Dao Ancestor wasn’t particularly adept at restrictions, the array would still be exceedingly difficult to dismantle.
The second option was to find a pass token. It was unlikely that the Dao Ancestor had been the only one managing the Dao Field. There must have been other disciples or servants involved, especially to oversee places like the herb garden. They would need pass tokens to access these areas—otherwise, it would be absurd to ask the Dao Ancestor to personally open the restrictions every time. In other words, possessing a pass token would allow one to bypass the restriction.
During the war in the past, it was highly probable that people from the Dao Field had either perished or fled, meaning some pass tokens must have been lost outside.
Thus, finding such tokens was possible—but it would require some luck.
That said, the pass tokens could only unlock the general areas of the Dao Field. They wouldn’t grant access to more hidden or secret locations.
Still, if they could use a token to open the restriction here, it would be enough.
As time trickled by, more True Monarchs left. However, Ye Tian and the few Half-Step True Ancestors remained behind.
“Dao Child of Ten Thousand Laws, the restriction won’t budge. Are you not planning to leave?” True Monarch Seafall asked.
“I believe someone will obtain a pass token sooner or later. It wouldn’t hurt to wait a little longer. If nothing comes of it, I’ll leave then,” Ye Tian responded with a smile.
“Very well,” True Monarch Seafall nodded slightly and asked no more.
One day passed. Then two, then three… In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.
Yet, the Half-Step True Ancestors still showed no sign of leaving. On the contrary, another Half-Step True Ancestor arrived, seemingly prepared to stay as well.
At this point, True Monarch Seafall could no longer suppress his impatience.
“Enough! Everyone, I have a pass token on me that should unlock the restriction and allow us into the other areas of the Dao Field,” True Monarch Seafall finally admitted.
“So you’ve had the pass token all along, True Monarch Seafall. I see—you were hoping we’d all leave so you could sneak in alone!” another Half-Step True Ancestor sneered coldly.
True Monarch Seafall didn’t respond, but the accusation was accurate.
Unfortunately, too many people had refused to leave, forcing him to reveal the token. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wasted his precious time here.
Without further delay, True Monarch Seafall produced the pass token.
Boom! The pass token activated, effortlessly dispelling the restriction.
Whoosh! True Monarch Seafall was the first to step through, with the others following close behind.
They soon found themselves in a new, unfamiliar environment.
Ahead of them stood several buildings, and they stood on fertile land with the herb garden just behind them.
At that moment, a voice echoed in everyone’s ears, causing their expressions to shift.
“Greetings, outsiders.”