Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 426 Regret
Surprisingly, each berry contains a lifelike little dragon-shaped seed, each one crystal clear and exquisitely detailed.

"This is dragon fruit!" Nie Zhaonan couldn't help but exclaim.

"Fellow Daoist Nie actually recognizes this spiritual fruit," Jin Ling said, slightly surprised. "I only happened to see a record about this fruit, which is why I had this guess." Upon hearing that it was indeed the fruit, Nie Zhaonan nodded and his expression returned to normal.

With his current strong mental state, he will naturally be able to stabilize his mind very quickly.

Upon hearing this, Jin Ling seemed to believe it and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she began to explain:

"The Zhilong Fruit is the main ingredient of the 'Tenglong Pill,' a spiritual pill used only by cultivators in the Void Refinement stage. It only bears fruit once every 30,000 years, and even if consumed raw, it can instantly increase the merit of 60 years of arduous cultivation. The medicinal effects of the 'Tenglong Pill' are even more incredible; it has a miraculous effect on improving the cultivation of cultivators in the early and middle stages of the Void Refinement stage."

Let alone spiritual herbs for the Void Refining stage, even spiritual herbs for the Nascent Soul stage are hard to obtain without certain opportunities and good fortune.

Furthermore, the Zhilong Fruit is a key ingredient in pills for those at the Void Refinement stage, a value that even ordinary Void Refinement stage cultivators would find difficult to obtain.

The effects of elixirs range from Nascent Soul to Void Refinement. Although it may seem like only one level has been crossed, the difference between the two is enormous.

After all, the higher one's cultivation level, the greater the gap in strength between different realms becomes, and the corresponding elixirs are naturally incomparable.

"Indeed, these are rare spiritual fruits." After shifting his gaze, Nie Zhaonan looked around again and was captivated by all sorts of unheard-of and unseen spiritual flowers, fruits, herbs, and medicines. He couldn't take his eyes off them for a moment.

Some spiritual herbs, even rarer than the Ganoderma lucidum fruit, are so potent that a mere sweep of one's divine sense is enough to make Nie Zhaonan feel extremely comfortable in body and mind.

Although she could only look, Jin Ling didn't waste this rare opportunity to broaden her horizons. Her delighted gaze swept over the surrounding spiritual herbs, and she couldn't help but say with a touch of pride:
"This is nothing. The Ganoderma lucidum fruit is indeed quite good. But given your status, Miss, the True Dragon Clan values ​​you highly. Most of the spiritual herbs here were bestowed upon you by the True Dragon Clan. There are several other spiritual herbs that are even rarer than the Ganoderma lucidum fruit."

"Miss is so kind to you, even I'm envious. The rare spiritual herbs here will quickly elevate your cultivation to the peak of the Void Refinement stage. As for bottlenecks, with these herbs, they simply won't exist."

Towards the end, her tone became somewhat sour. She had been following her mistress since before she took human form, while Nie Zhaonan had only met her a few times.
"You mean this place contains all the spiritual herbs needed for all stages of the Void Refinement Realm?" Surprised by the abundance of spiritual herbs here, Nie Zhaonan couldn't help but gasp.

Jin Ling examined the surrounding medicinal herbs for a long time before slowly saying:
"What's so strange about that? Given how highly regarded you are in the True Dragon Clan, you will receive a lot of spiritual herbs after advancing to the Integration stage. Although it's impossible to get as many as you have now, including those from the early, middle, and late stages of the Void Refinement realm, spiritual herbs that are effective for Integration cultivators are extremely precious. Even a few of them are worth more than a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure."

Nie Zhaonan nodded in agreement. Given the wealth of the True Dragon Clan, it was indeed possible for them to do so. After all, they had even bestowed the Xuan Tian Flower Tree upon his master, so they wouldn't be stingy with some spiritual herbs.

Although they were only walking, their current cultivation levels meant their speed was far beyond that of ordinary people. In just a quarter of an hour, they had toured the second level of the herb garden.

During this time, Jin Ling enthusiastically introduced the spiritual herbs she saw along the way, but only to their names and simple effects. As for more details, she didn't know much about them because she wasn't a Void Refinement cultivator.

Even so, it broadened Nie Zhaonan's horizons considerably.

Just as the two arrived outside the fence at the very heart of the entire herb garden, Xiao Jiu shot up from behind, then stopped abruptly and stood gracefully to the side.

The woman had already collected all the medicinal herbs from the third layer and neatly stored them in a jade box.

Nie Zhaonan smiled slightly and praised the woman.

Xiao Jiu's big eyes immediately curved into two crescent moons, and her little face beamed with joy.

"Master, do you need me to collect some of the medicinal herbs here as well?"

Along the way, she was also greatly shocked by the scenes she encountered.

The Purple Cloud Cave Heaven has countless kinds of spiritual herbs, and the variety of spiritual herbs here is naturally less than what she has seen before. However, every single one of the spiritual herbs here is extremely rare and incredibly valuable.

"No need. I don't need these Void Refinement stage spiritual herbs nowadays," Nie Zhaonan said calmly, shaking his head.

Xiao Jiu nodded slightly, obeying her master's every command without question, and naturally she would not raise any objections.

Jin Ling also glanced sideways, somewhat surprised to see Nie Zhaonan resist the temptation of these spiritual herbs and remain unmoved, a hint of admiration showing in her eyes.

No cultivator would say they dislike these spiritual herbs, and Nie Zhaonan was no exception. However, he had already taken a spiritual herb for the Nascent Soul stage, and this was only his first visit; there was no need to appear overly greedy.

Given his generous and easygoing master's intentions, once the token of the medicine garden was given to him, it wouldn't be taken back suddenly.

He will have plenty of opportunities in the future to move all the rare and precious herbs from this herb garden into the Purple Cloud Cave.

"Master! Master! You've only just accepted me as your disciple, and our master-disciple relationship isn't particularly deep, yet you've given me such a great opportunity and benefit. I, Nie Zhaonan, have never liked owing others anything, so how can I possibly repay you, Master?"

Recalling that graceful yet unattainable figure, Nie Zhaonan felt a mix of emotions and countless thoughts.

Soon, Nie Zhaonan couldn't help but smile bitterly, inwardly cursing himself for making a fuss over nothing:

"With the treasure of Zixiao Cave Heaven, repaying some kindness is not difficult at all. We will repay it when we have the opportunity in the future."

Having seen many rare and highly sought-after spiritual herbs for the Void Refinement stage, Nie Zhaonan became increasingly interested in the herbs in the first layer of the herb garden, his gaze following them as he moved forward.

There, there were ancient trees, each half a zhang tall, with branches and trunks that were interwoven with gold and red, dozens of crimson leaves growing busily on them, and ten spirit fruits the size of a fist.

These fruits have a reddish-gold color and are covered with scales the size of a fingernail, arranged in an orderly, undulating pattern, making them appear magical and extraordinary.

After seeing the appearance of the spirit tree, Nie Zhaonan's expression became strange, and he strode over even faster.

Jin Ling, who was standing beside him, was so focused on the spirit tree in front of them that she didn't notice the strange expression on Nie Zhaonan's face.

"How could it be a Dragon Scale Fruit Tree?" Xiao Jiu was slightly surprised, having originally guessed that the center of the herb garden would contain extremely rare spiritual herbs.

However, she didn't say anything, as if nothing had happened, and silently followed her master.

Nie Zhaonan took a slight breath, walked up to the dragon scale fruit tree, and examined it one by one.

But after a short while, his face grew increasingly puzzled. The dragon scale fruit tree here was exactly the same as the one in his hand.

“Fellow Daoist Jinling, I originally thought that the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree here might be something special, but it is just an ordinary Dragon Scale Fruit Tree, and the Dragon Scale Fruit on the tree is not special either. Why is that? Although the Dragon Scale Fruit can increase the strength of the person who consumes it, it is not enough to make Master attach so much importance to it.” After thinking about it, Nie Zhaonan asked the question in his heart.

Jin Ling smiled gently and explained in a leisurely tone:

"There is only one kind of Dragon Scale Fruit in the world, so they all look the same. You are a human cultivator, so you naturally do not understand the wonderful uses of the Dragon Scale Fruit."

"The strength that a single Dragon Scale Fruit can increase is like a drop of water falling into a boundless ocean, which is naturally not worth mentioning."

"However, the name 'Dragon Scale Fruit' is not entirely due to the dragon scale-like patterns on its surface, but also because this fruit has a miraculous effect on scales, strengthening their defense and making them more resilient. This effect even applies to a true dragon like Miss."

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhaonan finally understood. For many cultivators whose bodies possess scales, the Dragon Scale Fruit is undoubtedly an excellent spiritual fruit that can strengthen them upon consumption.

The scales on its body are not only part of its body, but also the most suitable defensive treasures for itself.

Dragon scale fruit, which can strengthen scales, is undoubtedly more precious than ordinary elixirs that enhance cultivation.

It's no wonder his master cares so much.

"It is said that even Elder Jinlong has these Dragon Scale Fruit trees in his herb garden, and he cherishes them quite a bit. This gives you an idea of ​​their importance and value. All the Dragon Scale Fruits that the hundred spirit trees here produce at once are only enough for you to refine one pill. These Dragon Scale Fruits won't be of much use to you, so you'd better not take them," Jinling explained softly.

"It is already a great favor that Master allowed me to enter the herb garden and use the spiritual herbs here. I am already very grateful and will certainly not be ungrateful." Nie Zhaonan nodded in reply, but he felt a little regretful.

He never imagined that the Dragon Scale Fruit would have such a wonderful use. Unfortunately, he was a human cultivator and didn't possess scales or anything like that.
Even so, this trip to the herb garden was quite fruitful.

At least one thing is certain: until he reaches the Integration Stage, he won't have to worry about pills to improve his magical power or break through bottlenecks.

After confirming that he had checked all the medicinal herbs in the herb garden without missing anything, Nie Zhaonan was in a great mood and had no intention of staying there any longer, so he left the herb garden immediately.

After bidding farewell to Jin Ling, he took Xiao Jiu back to his cave in Qiyun Mountain.

As soon as he returned to his cave dwelling, he immediately began refining elixirs.

Not only did they not feel tired at all, but they enjoyed it immensely.

After all, as cultivators, who wouldn't be eager to improve their cultivation level and increase their strength?
With his mind focused on alchemy and undisturbed by external things, time flew by, and several years passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Nie Zhaonan had just put ten crimson pills into a jade bottle when he suddenly sensed something. His eyes lit up, and his figure disappeared from the spot without any fluctuation.

In the Purple Cloud Cave Heaven, on the Spirit Lake, Nie Zhaonan stood in mid-air, gazing at the sea of ​​mist stretching for thousands of miles, covering most of the cave heaven area.

The sea of ​​fog was shrouded in a white mist. Nie Zhaonan's pupils flashed with blue light, but he raised an eyebrow, unable to see what was inside.

Nie Zhaonan murmured to himself:
"The Ten Thousand Trees Array, which uses ten thousand trees with spiritual eyes as its core, is truly powerful. Even my current strong divine sense, and even the spiritual eye ability of the Spiritual Eye, cannot see through the barrier light screen to the slightest bit inside it."

Although he could not see the scene inside the Myriad Trees Formation, as the master of the cave, Zixiao had absolute control over it, so how could he not sense the movements inside?

Within a section of the Myriad Trees Formation, the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth was stirred.

Countless fist-sized clusters of spiritual energy appeared in the air, rapidly converging towards a certain point, eventually forming a radiant cloud of spiritual light, colorful and dazzling, radiating powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

Having personally experienced this situation, how could Nie Zhaonan not know that someone had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage?

"It's Wan'er!" Sensing the blazing aura, a smile appeared on Nie Zhaonan's face.

Sensing the celestial signs within the great formation, Nie Zhaonan made no unnecessary moves and simply waited silently in place.

"Excellent, everything went smoothly. It seems Wan'er will advance successfully on her first try."

Constantly monitoring the changes in the celestial signs, Nie Zhaonan's initial worry completely dissipated after the spirit cloud disappeared into the cave below without any hindrance.

A moment later, the mist blocking Nie Zhaonan churned and then parted to the sides, revealing a passage.

At the end of the passage was a transparent light screen of the Myriad Wood Array. Although it was transparent, it was a blurry mess when looking inside, and nothing could be seen. It was really strange.

The next moment, a ripple suddenly appeared on the surface of the transparent light screen.

Nangong Wan, dressed in a snow-white palace gown, walked out gracefully, her clothes spotless, like a fairy from the moon palace, captivating all who beheld her.

Upon seeing her husband in the distance, she immediately raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling with joy. She instantly transformed into a streak of fire and disappeared from the spot. After flashing in the air, she was right next to Nie Zhaonan.

The two looked into each other's eyes for a long time before Nie Zhaonan embraced the lovely, slender waist before him and held her tightly in his arms.

"Wan'er, congratulations on advancing to the Nascent Soul stage and becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Her jade-like cheek rested on his shoulder, and Nangong Wan smiled faintly with happiness:
"My advancement was so smooth entirely thanks to the elixir bestowed upon me by my husband. I have received so much help from you, my husband, I don't know how to express my gratitude enough."

"Wan'er, we are husband and wife, it's only natural for me to help you. Besides, Wan'er should know how to be grateful to me."

His large hand roamed freely over her curvaceous body as Nie Zhaonan chuckled wickedly.

"Pah, my husband is just a lecherous scoundrel, lusting after my body." Nangong Wan said coquettishly, her words slightly reproachful, yet her tone was full of tenderness and a hint of seduction.

(End of this chapter)