With a further movement of her body, Qu'er vanished from sight, reappearing above another patch of medicinal fields. At that moment, Han Li approached the nearby two other patches of medicinal fields, where the herbs grown ranged from five or six to ten or twelve per patch. Only a small fraction of these could be clearly identified. The majority of the herbs—neither in human nor spiritual realm records—remained unknown. Even among those identified, every one was of considerable significance. Some were as rare as the Eroded-Toxin Fruit, having already vanished from the spiritual realm, while others were exceptionally precious even within the spiritual realm. Indeed, several of them were among the most important herbs specifically collected by Qingyuan Zi. Thus, as long as Han Li could locate another group of herbs that were comparatively easier to find, he would have a genuine chance of gathering all the herbs required by Qingyuan Zi. Han Li suppressed his excitement and immediately bent down to personally collect these fewer medicinal herbs, carefully sorting them and placing each type into separate jade boxes. When he had emptied both patches of medicinal fields, Qu'er had already stood gracefully beside him. The three kinds of rare herbs had been neatly gathered and stored in the jade boxes. A gentle smile played at Han Li's lips, and he kindly praised her. Qu'er's eyes instantly curved into two crescents, her face bright with joy. Though she had only recently transformed into a human form, she had accompanied Han Li in her rabbit shape for many years, so now, whenever she was with him, there was no sense of awkwardness—instead, a quiet sense of familiarity and warmth radiated between them. After all the medicinal herbs from the fields had been processed, Han Li finally turned his gaze toward the other side of the medicinal garden. There, there were over a dozen medicinal gardens of varying sizes, each enclosed by wooden fences several feet high, thus forming a dozen separate realms. Within these inner gardens, the immortal herbs ranged from towering trees several zhang high to delicate flowers a few feet tall; one garden even featured a sacred spring spanning seven or eight zhang in diameter, within which a small, shimmering lotus pod floated mysteriously. Han Li took a deep breath and strode forward, beginning to examine each individual herb carefully. Yet within just a short while, his face was filled with a look of helpless, wry amusement. He knew these herbs had been cultivated separately by the garden's owners, and thus should surely be worth far more than the earlier red lotus fruits and toxin-eliminating herbs. Yet, whether it was the large, emerald-hued fruit-bearing trees or the strange, multi-colored flowers displaying thirteen distinct hues, he recognized none of them. It seemed these herbs were never native to the immortal realm—they were truly unique to the celestial realm. Thus, their specific functions could only be gradually tested in the future. If even just a few of them could be fully understood, that would indeed be a tremendous achievement. With these thoughts running through his mind, Han Li no longer hesitated. With one hand, he reached out toward the distant ground, and instantly a white jade box rose into the air, transforming into a sphere of white light that settled into his hands. Turning his gaze to the spirit tree before him, now laden with clusters of emerald fruits, he flipped his other hand, and a small green spade appeared. Raising his hand, the spade shot forward as a beam of green light, striking the ground of the medicinal garden. As the green light flashed, a crisp "clink" echoed, and the spade rebounded like it had struck a piece of fine steel, utterly unable to break through the soil. Han Li paused, slightly stunned, yet seemed uncertain—so he once again summoned his inner power, activating his spell. The jade spade spun once, then roared forward, striking the garden floor once more. The same result occurred—the jade spade was simply flicked aside with no mercy. Han Li's eye twitched involuntarily! He had been so focused on inspecting the medicinal herbs themselves that he hadn't noticed any anomalies in the soil beneath. His pupils flashed blue as he glanced downward. To his surprise, the soil within several zhang of the medicinal grove was densely woven with countless golden threads, completely sealing off the area beneath the herb garden. These golden threads were formed from the most refined essence of golden spiritual energy. He wasn't sure whether the cultivation of this medicinal tree required such golden energy, or whether the garden's owner held the tree in such high regard that they had additionally installed a separate seal beneath the ground. Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, pondered for a moment, then emitted a quiet laugh. A dark, palm-sized hand emerged from his sleeve and gently pressed down. A hazy, ethereal glow surged from his palm, spiraled into the soil, and then seamlessly vanished into the earth at the base of the medicinal tree. The Primordial Magnetic Divine Light is especially effective against the power of the Unmanifested, and should have easily subdued such refined Jin spiritual energy. That was exactly what Han Li naturally expected. Yet what unfolded below far exceeded his expectations! After the gray light swept down, the fine filaments of Jin spiritual energy did not simply vanish as anticipated, but suddenly interwove within the soil, forming a golden net that shimmered with golden light and fiercely resisted the gray light's assault. Though the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light surged wildly, it could not yet disperse these filaments in a single strike. Han Li's expression truly grew serious. After a moment of thoughtful consideration, he slightly moved his five black fingers, and a small mountain silhouette emerged, fully encompassing his entire palm. Instantly, the gray light in his hand became more concentrated, and the spraying gray light transformed into a viscous, liquid consistency. He had successfully harnessed the power of the Primordial Magnetic Mountain, pushing the might of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light to its peak. The golden spiritual essence within the soil finally could not withstand such fierce restraining force. After a second, resolute surge of gray light, it scattered and vanished. Seeing this, Han Li felt a great relief. With a slight flick of his dark palm, the mountain-like silhouette instantly dissolved, and his palm skin returned to its normal hue. Yet, as he pointed his palm upward, the small green spade emitted a clear, resonant chime and shot forth, tracing a circular path around the soil beneath the entire spirit tree before vanishing swiftly and re-entering his sleeve. Immediately, a misty, jade-like glow radiated from where the spade had passed, fully enveloping the spirit tree. Han Li then pressed a hand seal, directly casting a spell toward the tree. As the spell faded upon touching the tree, the spirit tree trembled slightly and then rose steadily and smoothly from the ground. Han Li's eyes flashed, and a look of delight spread across his face. But just as the root of the spirit tree had barely lifted from the soil, suddenly a soft "pffft" sound echoed, and immediately an eerie green flame surged across the entire surface of the tree. This green flame flickered only briefly, and then the whole spirit tree—along with all the fruits hanging on its branches—vanished into a mist, leaving no trace. Han Li's mouth hung open, utterly stunned. After a long while, he sighed deeply, gazing at the now empty herb garden, his face filled with disappointment. Since the spirit tree could not be transplanted, even his heartfelt regret would prove futile. He promptly turned around and strode toward another herb shop, where a rare flower stood three feet tall, pure and jade-like. The soil beneath this flower bore no magical restrictions, and the jade spade easily sliced through it. Yet, as the unknown flower was lifted from the ground, its surface trembled suddenly, and it melted like spring snow into a pool of green liquid, which then seeped into the soil and disappeared entirely. This time, Han Li was genuinely taken aback. He had encountered two such "delicate" medicinal plants in a row—clearly, his luck had truly run out. Though he cast a somewhat reluctant glance at the spot where the liquid had vanished, he hummed a few discontented notes before finally resigning himself and moving on to the next medicinal patch. Among the other three primary medicinal plants below, each one instantly withered and turned to ash as soon as its roots detached from the ground; one suddenly exploded into fragments; and the last one shimmered with a layer of electric filaments, vanishing completely. With five medicinal plants now exhibiting such self-destructive phenomena, even if Han Li were otherwise slow-witted, he would have sensed something was amiss. This could not simply be due to the plants' inherent inability to be transplanted. It must have been that the garden's owner had subtly intervened—otherwise, such an unusual occurrence would have been impossible. Thus, standing before the magnificent, fist-sized medicinal flower now split into thirteen distinct hues, Han Li began to carefully inspect the entire plant from top to bottom once again. Since the divine awareness had failed to detect anything earlier, it could only rely on the clear and bright spiritual eyes to uncover the subtle anomalies. As the intense blue glow of his two eyes flashed steadily, Han Li carefully scanned from the tip of the spiritual flowers down to their roots, inch by inch. Yet after thoroughly examining them seven or eight times, he still found no trace of anything unusual. This caused him growing unease. If even the sealing spells set by the garden's master could not be detected, then the notion of having them lifted was entirely out of the question. Yet, watching so many rare medicinal herbs—ones not even known in the spiritual realm—and simply ignoring them, he could not be content. Han Li stood there, arms folded, deeply pondering. After a full cup of tea's worth of contemplation, he sighed softly and murmured, "Once the roots are separated from the soil, the herbs will naturally perish. The spells must therefore be placed at their roots. That seems to be the only explanation!" Since it was impossible to uproot the entire plant, it was certainly feasible to preserve its seeds and fruits—after all... As soon as these words left his lips, he immediately turned his gaze to the exceptionally vibrant bloom before him. With a focused gaze, he tossed a jade box, which instantly hovered stably directly beneath the flower. Then, with a swift flick of one sleeve, he extended a pale, jade-like palm from the other sleeve. A surge of green light flashed, and a sharp, incisive blade of light sliced cleanly across the stem at the base of the flower, while a cascade of five-colored light flames surged forth. The unusual bloom, severed by the cut, was immediately enveloped by the flames and transformed into a translucent, five-hued block of ice, sealed in an instant. With a soft sound, the ice block settled precisely into the jade box beneath.