Chapter 2201: Jade Heart Grass

"Dad, Uncle Jian, you're back?"

Chen Yong greeted the hunting party, his face full of pride.

His father, Chen Lie, the patriarch of the Chen family village, was a renowned powerful hunter.

At this moment, several strong hunters returned, each carrying plenty of prey—another bountiful haul.

"Haha, Yong'er, we got lucky this time and bagged a Snow Jade Musk Deer," Chen Lie laughed heartily.

Then, the villagers all gathered around, exclaiming in admiration.

"The patriarch is truly formidable! This Snow Jade Musk Deer's strength is nearly at the peak of mortal beasts, just a step away from divine beasts, and you managed to kill it!"

"Now our Chen village can have enough to eat for half a year!"

"Following Patriarch Lie is truly our fortune!"

...

Everyone was full of praise, genuinely admiring Chen Lie.

In the Tongtian Realm, mortals living outside the cities could be attacked by ferocious beasts at any time.

The annihilation of entire villages was a common occurrence.

But under the leadership of Patriarch Chen Lie, the Chen village showed signs of thriving.

At least, they didn't have to live a life of hiding.

Strong strength was the foundation of survival.

Axiu squeezed to the front, her eyes lighting up, and exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Lie, you're amazing! You even defeated a Snow Jade Musk Deer. I think you might break through to the Divine Path one day! Aning, don't you think so?"

Ye Yuan looked bewildered and nodded along.

Chen Lie patted Axiu on the head and laughed, "Silly girl, the Divine Path isn't so easy to enter. I know my own strength; reaching the peak of the mortal realm is already my limit! But... I do have high hopes for Yong'er!"

Beside him, Chen Jian also smiled, "That's right! Yong'er's strength will catch up to us old folks in a few years. He is the future of our Chen village!"

Hearing the elders' praise, Chen Yong showed a mix of shyness and pride, casting a somewhat defiant glance at Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan looked bewildered again, not understanding why.

Chen Lie directly tossed the Snow Jade Musk Deer to his son and said cheerfully, "Cut off a good portion and send it to Grandpa Yan. Aning, this Snow Jade Musk Deer is a great tonic, very beneficial for your injuries."

Chen Yong's face darkened, feeling displeased.

Ye Yuan smiled modestly and said, "Thank you, Uncle Lie."

In this village, everyone cared about Ye Yuan.

Although he had lost his memory, he was very grateful to everyone.

"By the way, Uncle Yan, I found this in the mountains this time!" With that, Chen Yong carefully pulled a package from his pocket.

His movements were very cautious, afraid of damaging the contents.

As he unwrapped the package, a surge of vast spiritual energy spread out.

Chen Yan's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "A spiritual herb! A divine-grade spiritual herb, Jade Heart Grass! Although it's not fully mature, its spiritual energy gives a one-in-ten chance for you to break through to the Divine Realm!"

Chen Yan was a respected elder in the clan, even holding a higher status than Chen Lie.

Because he was a mortal realm alchemist!

In fact, he was equivalent to Ye Yuan's peak Alchemy Emperor in the Immortal Forest World.

So he recognized the herb at a glance.

Chen Lie was overjoyed and exclaimed, "So that's it! That Snow Jade Musk Deer was guarding this thing, refusing to leave, all for a breakthrough to the Divine Path!"

Chen Yan nodded, "Indeed! If that Snow Jade Musk Deer had swallowed the mature Jade Heart Grass, breaking through to the Divine Realm would be almost certain! Unfortunately... I am incapable of refining the Jade Heart Pill; otherwise, your breakthrough would be a sure thing! What a pity! What a pity!"

Chen Yan sighed repeatedly, expressing deep regret.

The Jade Heart Pill was a divine pill, beyond his reach.

Consuming it raw without refining would waste this divine herb.

Chen Lie, however, was unconcerned and laughed, "Uncle Yan, no need to fret. I plan to leave this Jade Heart Grass for Yong'er. His talent surpasses mine; he will surely break through to the Divine Realm."

Chen Yan shook his head, "It's useless! By the time Yong'er cultivates to the peak of the mortal realm, most of the spiritual energy in the Jade Heart Grass will have dissipated. Then it will be no different from an ordinary mortal-grade herb. Don't think about planting it either; cultivating divine-grade spiritual herbs is extremely complex and profound. I'm not confident I can preserve its spiritual energy. Besides... Luo Sheng will come to collect taxes tomorrow. Do you think he'll let this divine-grade herb go?"

Hearing this, Chen Lie's face turned grim.

Beside him, Chen Yong's expression also darkened.

The Divine Realm meant something entirely different for a village.

If a village produced a Divine Realm expert, their survival rate would greatly increase, and they would no longer fear attacks from ferocious beasts.

Moreover, the village would instantly become a powerful one, dominating the fate of other villages!

The Luo Sheng Chen Yan mentioned was a Divine Realm powerhouse!

Thus, the Luo family village was the strongest within ten thousand li, and all other villages had to submit.

"This... only a one-in-ten chance, it's too wasteful!" Chen Lie said gloomily.

The others fell silent, while Chen Yong was full of self-blame, secretly resenting his lack of strength.

"How about... let me give it a try." Just then, a discordant voice suddenly sounded.

Everyone looked at Ye Yuan in surprise; it was he who had spoken.

Chen Yong was already in a bad mood, and Ye Yuan's words made him explode.

"What business is it of yours? You're a useless waste without even a shred of Yuan power, what are you going to try? This is a quasi-divine-grade spiritual herb, not a toy for you to play with!" Chen Yong roared at Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan wiped the spittle from his face, still looking bewildered.

Even he himself didn't know why he had said such a thing.

Axiu immediately took offense, hands on her hips, and said, "What are you yelling about? Aning means well! Besides, Grandpa said Aning must have been a big shot before; how do you know he can't do it?"

Chen Lie said awkwardly, "Aning, it's not that Uncle Lie doesn't trust you, but... you don't even have Yuan power."

Ye Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... that's true."

Beside them, Chen Yan was lost in thought, then suddenly spoke, "Aning, are you confident?"

The others looked at Chen Yan in astonishment, not understanding what he meant.

How could a useless person without Yuan power have any solution?

Ye Yuan was taken aback and shook his head, "I... I don't know."

Chen Yan asked curiously, "Then why did you say that just now?"

Ye Yuan smiled bitterly, "I don't know either. It just slipped out without thinking."

Chen Yan's face showed a thoughtful expression, then he fixed his gaze and handed the Jade Heart Grass to Ye Yuan, saying, "Come to my alchemy room. Take whatever you need."

Before Chen Lie could say anything, Chen Yong, carrying the Snow Jade Musk Deer, jumped up in shock and anger, "Grandpa Yan! This is a quasi-divine-grade spiritual herb!"