However, Han Li was not anxious! This central area of the forbidden ground was vastly different from the outer regions.
In the areas outside the center, the spiritual herbs and strange fruits grew mostly in a random, unregulated pattern. They could appear in any corner, and it was generally a case of first come, first served. Those who succeeded would immediately retreat far away. Therefore, real conflicts over spiritual herbs in these places were not that common. More people actually perished due to other cultivators' large-scale purges or individuals snatching treasures by killing others.
But the central area was different! According to accounts from disciples who had previously returned by sheer luck, this central zone was enormous, occupying more than a third of the entire forbidden ground. It was enclosed by stone walls on all sides, forming a great circle. Counting inwards from the four copper gates, the entire area was divided into three outer layers, much like the peel, flesh, and core of a common fruit—distinct layers, truly remarkable!
The picturesque, idyllic place where Han Li currently stood was the outermost layer of this central area.
According to the records, the distance from here to the next layer wasn't great, only about a li or so in width. While the grass, trees, and plants growing in this range were all rare and precious curiosities, seldom seen in the world, very few of them could be classified as spiritual herbs that were actually effective for cultivators. Most were merely ornamental or for idle appreciation.
Many from the Seven Great Sects speculated that this layer was intentionally designed by the forbidden ground's master to serve as a sort of private garden. Those flashy, eye-catching plants and fruits were originally meant for the master's own enjoyment. If one wanted to find something of use, it would be more trouble-free to search in other parts of the forbidden ground!
The truly high-grade spiritual herbs, so useful to cultivators, were primarily produced within the second layer of the central area. Most disciples from the various sects entering this place were aiming for this layer. Among its contents were the three main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, which naturally made them the primary targets. Han Li was equally determined to obtain these spiritual herbs!
Speaking of this second layer, it truly left Han Li, who had just read the relevant materials, stunned for quite a while.
Because this second layer was entirely a massive ring-shaped mountain range, permanently shrouded and tightly sealed in a mist so thick you couldn't see your fingers in front of your face. Within this mountain range, there were both natural spiritual sites like caves, hidden valleys, and cliffs, as well as man-made structures such as stone houses and stone halls. Various heavenly and earthly spiritual herbs grew in these locations.
The data the ugly man had exchanged with Han Li primarily consisted of distribution maps pinpointing the locations of these herbs. No one could guarantee that the materials they currently possessed would definitely cover the area they ended up in. Therefore, the more distribution maps of this kind one had, the better! It made it easier to locate oneself and search according to the map.
However, the mist in this mountain was simply too vast and too dense! When cultivators entered this mountain range under normal circumstances, after just a few steps they would become completely lost in the fog, forced to grope forward slowly, one uncertain step at a time. Whether they could find their way out again depended entirely on their own luck!
What gave them even more headaches were the countless demonic beasts inhabiting the ring-shaped mountain. From low first-level beasts like Flame Rats and Wind-Chasing Rabbits to top-tier first-level beasts like the Golden Light Pythons and Ice-Fire Wolves, the mountain practically contained every type of first-level demonic beast the Seven Great Sects had or hadn't heard of.
Among them, those with low strength could be easily handled seven or eight at a time by a cultivator at the sixth or seventh layer without any problem. But the ones at the very peak of the first level—even the elite disciples of the Seven Great Sects, if they encountered them, would have no choice but to flee in disarray.
Fortunately, this last category of demonic beasts was extremely rare on the mountain, and most had already become guardian beasts specifically protecting certain spiritual herbs. They were rarely encountered outside their specific locations!
Therefore, the more troublesome beasts encountered were predominantly high-tier first-level beasts. However, if several elite disciples joined forces, they could easily eliminate them. Of course, if one encountered such a beast alone, a bloody battle was still inevitable.
Whether it was the mist covering the mountain or the demonic beasts dwelling within, if a cultivator faced only one of these challenges alone, these proud and elite disciples might still barely consider risking an incursion into the mountain to gather herbs. But now that they faced both simultaneously, the disciples could only stare at each other helplessly. Going up the mountain under these conditions would absolutely be a journey with no return!
Thus, during the first few batches of disciples who entered the forbidden ground in earlier years, they only gathered ordinary spiritual herbs in the outer areas of the central zone and called it a day. None had ever ventured into the ring-shaped mountain!
But after several rounds, a cultivator from the Concealed Moon Sect painstakingly refined a magical artifact called the "Moon Sun Treasure Pearl." This artifact could neither attack enemies nor provide defense; its sole purpose was to emit a strange light capable of counteracting all sorts of mist and miasma. It was something this person had specifically prepared just for this expedition to the forbidden ground!
Indeed, the Concealed Moon Sect disciple who obtained this treasure shone brilliantly during the next opening of the forbidden ground!
After clearing away most of the mist for the other sects, they returned from the ring-shaped mountain laden with spoils. Relying on this harvest, they refined a massive batch of Foundation Establishment Pills. Then, they widely recruited disciples, causing their sect's strength to soar overnight. From then on, they established the Concealed Moon Sect's position as the foremost cultivation sect in the Yue Kingdom.
However, as the old saying goes, there is no wall without cracks! Word eventually spread that the Concealed Moon Sect had used the "Moon Sun Treasure Pearl" to amply harvest heavenly and earthly spiritual herbs within the forbidden ground. Not long after, the other six sects, unwilling to let them monopolize the treasure, came knocking at their door.
Unwilling to offend public opinion, yet equally unwilling to simply hand over the pearl, the Concealed Moon Sect engaged in lengthy haggling and negotiating with the other six sects before finally presenting the pearl, making it a possession shared among all the Seven Great Sects.