A while later, Namu Zhong's wry laughter could be heard. "Staring at this boundless expanse of pure red has made my eyes water. Now, no matter where I look, it's all fiery red."
Shen Xiaoyan and the others remained silent but frowned deeply.
The reason was simple: they were all in the same predicament as Namu Zhong.
Even when they averted their gaze from the mandalas, wherever they looked, it was a sea of fiery red, and they couldn't see anything clearly.
Under such circumstances, how could they find the Longevity Grass?
Thinking back to the large tree earlier, Shen Xiaoyan felt a suffocating frustration.
She had thought the tree was something special, but it turned out to be so malevolent and playful.
It claimed one could recognize the grass with just a glance. Now, with their vision filled with red, were they supposed to pluck everything they saw?
As Shen Xiaoyan pondered this, a shiver ran down her spine.
This bloody red expanse was endless. To pluck it all would be a fool's errand.
Even if they did, the time required to distinguish each one would be considerable.
While contemplating their predicament, Shen Xiaoyan suddenly thought of Luoluo.
Luoluo would surely know how to find the Longevity Grass.
With this thought, Shen Xiaoyan directly summoned Luoluo.
Luoluo appeared on the empty ground before Shen Xiaoyan. It yawned and asked groggily, "What do you want me, this cat, for?"
Shen Xiaoyan crouched down and smiled. "We are in the forbidden area of the Medicine Emperor Valley looking for Longevity Grass. We know it's nearby, but we can't tell which one it is. So, we were wondering if you had any ideas."
Upon hearing Shen Xiaoyan, Luoluo's sleepiness vanished by more than half.
It widened its eyes and exclaimed, "You've actually found Longevity Grass?"
Luoluo was genuinely surprised. The Longevity Grass was indeed difficult to find. It had simply told Shen Xiaoyan the method in good faith, but it hadn't held out much hope.
That Shen Xiaoyan and the others had already found it in just one night truly astonished it.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan nod seriously, Luoluo also turned to look around.
When it saw the sea of red surrounding them, its round cat eyes filled with surprise.
So, such a place actually existed.
"You all wait here. I'll be back soon."
In its excitement, Luoluo forgot to refer to itself as "this cat." It spoke hurriedly and then plunged into the sea of mandalas.
Luoluo, entirely black, was extremely conspicuous in the sea of mandalas.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others followed its movement with their eyes, watching it move faster and faster, further and further away.
Only when it became a mere speck in the distance, its form no longer discernible, did they finally withdraw their gaze.
After withdrawing their gazes, everyone felt a sharp sting in their eyes.
Even with their eyes closed, they could still see the bloody red expanse.
This feeling was far from pleasant.
After waiting for about half an hour, they saw Luoluo's silhouette rapidly returning from afar.
As its shadow grew closer, the group became increasingly anxious.
By the time it reached them, Yi Zhixie was about to ask a question when he felt his body sway. The next moment he opened his eyes, they were already in Shen Xiaoyan's space.
Shen Xiaoyan was also somewhat bewildered. It was Luoluo that had directly brought them into the space.
Everyone looked at Luoluo. They heard it say, "The guardian of the Longevity Grass is coming after us. We'll hide here for a while and leave when it's gone."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan and the others understood why Luoluo had immediately brought them into the space upon arrival.
Yi Zhixie, however, didn't have the time to ask what kind of monster was outside. He rushed up to Luoluo. "Did you get the Longevity Grass?"
Luoluo tilted its chin up, its face filled with arrogance. "With this cat's efforts, how could I not get it?"
Seeing its proud little demeanor, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but smile.
She also breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it had brought back the Longevity Grass.
Now, Yuan Heng's life could be saved.
Lu Taobao, hearing this, leaned forward. "Quickly show us that Longevity Grass. What does it look like? It can actually extend life."
Lu Taobao stared intently at Luoluo, his gaze filled with urgency.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others also turned their gazes to Luoluo, waiting for it to produce the Longevity Grass.
A mysterious smile suddenly appeared on Luoluo's face. Before Shen Xiaoyan and the others could react, they heard it say, "Follow me."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan and the others exchanged confused glances.
What was going on?
As Luoluo began to walk forward, Shen Xiaoyan and the others quickly followed.
Ruan Ruan and the other two, who had been playing with Lao Hei and the others, saw Shen Xiaoyan and the group enter and immediately ran over to follow.
Following Luoluo, they walked up to the mountainside where medicinal herbs were planted.
Shen Xiaoyan, though not recognizing every medicinal herb she had planted before, remembered most of them.
But what was this patch of bloody red before them?
As they walked closer, they saw that it was a patch of grass, red grass.
In terms of shape, it was no different from weeds by the roadside.
However, its color was blood red, and its leaves were heart-shaped.
These two differences alone were enough to tell them that this grass was absolutely extraordinary.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others knew without asking Luoluo that this was none other than the Longevity Grass they had been longing for.
But, such a large patch, numbering at least several hundred to a thousand stalks.
Wasn't Longevity Grass said to be very difficult to find?
What was the situation with this entire patch?
Had the Longevity Grass grown this much because this forbidden area had been undisturbed for so long?
As if understanding the confusion in their hearts, Luoluo licked its paw and said calmly, "There's a spirit beast here. It needs Longevity Grass to upgrade, and it's very powerful. Even if all of you went out together now, you wouldn't be its match. Originally, as soon as these Longevity Grasses grew, they would be eaten by it for cultivation and upgrades. But we came at just the right time. It has guarded for hundreds of years, allowing the Longevity Grass to multiply like this. It's enough to be eaten all at once for another level-up."
Hearing Luoluo's words, Shen Xiaoyan already had a vague guess.
So, Luoluo was snatching food from the tiger's mouth?
At this moment, Luoluo continued, "It was fortunate that I arrived in time. It had just eaten over ten stalks. While it was digesting, I directly transplanted the rest into the space and then fled. Although it chased after me, it couldn't catch up, so..."
"So, it's definitely going crazy looking for us right now. If we go out now, we'll be killed by it," Lu Taobao chimed in.
Luoluo looked at Lu Taobao and praised, "I didn't expect your mind to work so quickly. You're absolutely right, so we have to hide here for some time."
Lu Taobao:!
He really didn't need the praise.
He would have preferred if what he said was wrong.
They had finally obtained the Longevity Grass, only to be trapped in the space and unable to leave.
No matter who it was, their mood at this moment wouldn't be pleasant.
Especially Yi Zhixie.
Having obtained the Longevity Grass, he had been eager to return to his grandfather. But now that he couldn't leave the space, it was a much bigger problem, and even more frustrating.
It was like seeing food but being unable to eat it.
Shen Xiaoyan comforted him, "Don't be anxious. There are still two days left. We just need to return within two days. For now, you all wait here. I'll make preparations so that we can save the person directly upon returning."
Yi Zhixie's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Right!
How could he have forgotten? Shen Xiaoyan had more ample time in the space. If they could complete all the preparations here, they wouldn't have to delay when they returned.
With this realization, Yi Zhixie's expression eased considerably.
Shen Xiaoyan left with Luoluo, taking some Longevity Grass with them.
Upon entering the alchemy room, Shen Xiaoyan sat to the side and watched Luoluo work.
There was nothing she could do. She didn't understand, and it was better not to cause trouble, let alone help.
Time passed quickly during alchemy.
Even though Yi Zhixie and the others waited outside with burning anxiety, feeling each second like a year.
In the alchemy room, Shen Xiaoyan and Luoluo felt time fly by.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed in the space, and only a day had passed outside.
When Shen Xiaoyan and Luoluo emerged from the space, they saw Yi Zhixie looking haggard, with sunken eyes and a stubbled chin.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Yi Zhixie in surprise and stammered, "Did I stay in there for several hundred years?"
Yi Zhixie was taken aback and quickly shook his head. "No, only a year has passed in the space."
Shen Xiaoyan nodded and felt relieved.
However, she still looked at Yi Zhixie with utter astonishment. "Then how did you do this to yourself?"
It was no wonder Shen Xiaoyan said this.
Yi Zhixie now looked like he had aged ten years.
His former youthful appearance was long gone.
Zheng Wei and the others also came over upon hearing their conversation.
Lu Taobao pointed at Yi Zhixie and laughed. "This guy, ever since you went in, he's been standing by this door, not eating, not drinking, not sleeping, just waiting for you to come out."
Shen Xiaoyan understood.
It was understandable that he would look like this after standing there for a year in such a state.
Still, Shen Xiaoyan chuckled, "You really didn't need to do this."
Although she said this, Shen Xiaoyan understood why Yi Zhixie had done it.
After all, it was Yi Zhixie's relative, and his worry was unavoidable.
To prevent Yi Zhixie from worrying further, Shen Xiaoyan smiled and said, "It's already done."
As she said this, she took out a porcelain bottle.
Yi Zhixie's expression turned to surprise as he took the porcelain bottle. As soon as he opened it, his eyes lit up.
The moment they opened the porcelain bottle, everyone felt refreshed. It was as if something had entered their brains through their noses, making them feel incredibly comfortable, even boosting their spirits and increasing their vitality.
Yi Zhixie smiled gratefully at Shen Xiaoyan. "Thank you so much, Shen Xiaoyan."
Just by smelling it, the effect was so profound. He couldn't imagine what it would be like after consuming it. He was already overjoyed just thinking about it.