Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 442 The Mystery of Space
In the following days, Song Xian did not go to the cultivation room again, but focused on absorbing and refining the Yuan Shen Pill.

He gave half of the eight Yuan Shen Pills to Su Zhirou and kept four for himself.

Under his keen observation, the effects of the Primordial Spirit Pills were quite evident. Each pill increased his spiritual power by fifty points, and the four pills brought a total of two hundred points of spiritual power.

To be honest, this slight increase in spiritual power was almost negligible to him.

He now has 2200 points of spiritual power and 1100 points of basic divine sense.

Because he had cultivated the Desolate Heaven Expansion Technique to the third level of the first stage, his basic spiritual power had increased by 40%, bringing his total spiritual power to 1540 points. Adding these 200 points, he had a total of 1740 points. This was almost comparable to a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator.

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator who has not cultivated the Divine Sense Technique has reached the Great Perfection stage, their Divine Sense Power would only be 1800 points.

If Song Xian advances the Desolate Heaven Expansion Technique to the second stage, his spiritual power will surpass that of a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator.

.........

The sky is clear and the air is fresh, with not a single cloud in sight.

In Xijiang County, at the gate of the Beast Taming Sect and outside Fish Leap Peak, disciples of the Beast Taming Sect stood ready for battle.

As dusk fell, the once clear sky suddenly changed color, dark clouds covered the sky, and a strong wind suddenly swept around. With the howling wind, a large amount of spiritual energy from all directions rushed towards this peak, forming huge vortexes of spiritual energy.

On the Fish Leap Peak Dojo, a slender figure sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. As a large amount of spiritual energy surged into his body like a giant beast, the figure trembled slightly. Wave after wave of spiritual energy assaulted him like a giant beast, overwhelming and endless, as if to devour him.

Looking out, the spiritual energy of the entire mountain range seemed to have materialized into clouds and mist, surging towards this place and merging with the cloud-like vortexes of spiritual energy.

The area inside and outside Fish Leap Peak seemed to have transformed into a fairyland shrouded in clouds and mist. The figure inside was almost completely obscured by the materialized spiritual energy, and only the faint red light shimmering around it could be seen.

From dusk to dawn, then back to dusk, and then back to dawn.

The swirling vortex of spiritual energy gradually dissipated, and the once misty Fish Leap Peak gradually returned to clarity. The figure inside remained seated upright, completely enveloped by a dazzling red light.

Outside Fish Leap Peak, Wang Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

As time passed, around noon, the vortex of spiritual energy finally dissipated completely, and Fish Leap Peak returned to its clear and bright state.

At this moment, a powerful spiritual pressure soared into the sky and spread outwards. Almost everyone in the entire Beast Taming Sect felt this powerful spiritual energy fluctuation.

That was the spiritual energy aura possessed only by Golden Core cultivators. The figure who had been sitting cross-legged at the foot of Fish Leap Peak slowly stood up.

Wang Xuan flashed and appeared in front of him, a warm smile on his face: "Fellow Daoist Xu, congratulations."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang, and thank you for your sect's help."

"Let's go! Come with me to see your master. He will surely be pleased with your successful Core Formation."

After they finished speaking, the two of them rose into the air and headed towards the main peak.

…………

In the dimly lit cultivation room of Hunyuan Sect in Bianxi City, Song Xian was cultivating with his eyes closed when a knocking sound came from outside. He opened his eyes, waved his hand, and his spiritual energy shot out. The stone door opened by itself without wind, and a man in his early twenties, with a thin figure and a clever look in his eyes, stood outside.

This person was none other than his disciple Huang Xuan.

"You're back. Did you get the things?" Upon seeing the visitor, Song Xian smiled from the bottom of his heart.

This is the person he sent to the Xuanjian Sect in the northern Muhe Grassland a year ago to retrieve the Soul-Severing Crystal. His safe return proves that everything went smoothly.

Huang Xuan was a native of Bianxi City. He was among the first group of children recruited by the sect after it returned to Bianxi City. His parents, elder brothers and sisters were all still alive. Before he set off, Song Xian used a mind-controlling talisman to test his reliability before sending him to the northern Muhe Grassland to contact Tani and retrieve the Soul-Severing Crystal.

Song Xian chose him not only because he was his disciple and had followed him for many years, but also because of his performance over the years.

He was a filial son. After entering the temple, he often went home to visit his parents, brothers and sisters. Moreover, he was very discreet, never asking questions he shouldn't ask and never saying things he shouldn't say.

His entire family was under the control of the sect, and Song Xian liked to use such people because he trusted them.

"Thanks to the Sect Leader's good fortune, your disciple has lived up to expectations and brought the items, which have been placed in your residence. In addition, Senior Tani has also come along."

Huang Xuan could not hide his excitement. Completing such a major task not only gave him a great sense of accomplishment, but also made him realize that he had gained Song Xian's high trust through this achievement.

Because this matter was highly confidential and the transaction amount was huge, Song Xian gave him a full 100,000 spirit stones and asked him to go to the northern part of the Muhe Grassland to retrieve the Soul-Severing Crystal. When he received the spirit stones, he was extremely nervous, as this was undoubtedly an astronomical sum for him.

However, Song Xian entrusted him with the task so casually. Throughout the journey, he was in a state of high tension. When riding the funeral boat, he was worried that if anyone glanced at him, he would expose his immense wealth.

Fortunately, he arrived safely at the rendezvous point in the Giant Forest City in the northern part of the Mukh Grassland and completed the transaction.

Hearing that Tani had come in person, Song Xian was somewhat surprised, then immediately remembered that Tani must have successfully refined the Chuan Kong Leaf and wanted to exchange it for Xuan Kong Tree materials.

Where is he now?

"Wait outside the mountain gate."

Song Xian immediately stood up and walked outside.

"Sect Leader," Huang Xuan quickly called out to him, "Is there anything else?"

"what's up?"

"The Xuanjian Sect took 4,400 Soul-Severing Crystals this time, but I only brought 100,000 spirit stones with me. Originally, the cultivator in charge of the handover from the Xuanjian Sect was unwilling to give them all to me. It was only because Senior Tani vouched for me that they agreed to let me owe 32,000 spirit stones."

"I understand. Did you reveal your identity when you met with the cultivators from the Xuanjian Sect?"

"No, I followed your instructions and brought the shape-changing talisman. They didn't ask about my identity or background."

“You did a good job on this mission. From now on, you will be in charge of this matter and won’t need to worry about anything else. I’ll talk to the Internal Affairs Department and have a private cultivation room set up for you so that you can focus on your cultivation when you’re at the mountain gate.”

"Thank you, Sect Leader." Huang Xuan was overjoyed. According to the sect's rules, only disciples with dual spiritual roots could have their own exclusive cultivation room. However, he had the aptitude of three spiritual roots, so he could only share the cultivation room with other disciples according to the arrangements of the Internal Affairs Hall. Now, he not only had his own exclusive cultivation room, but he also didn't have to worry about other matters. This was almost the highest level of treatment in the sect.

After leaving the cultivation hall, Song Xian arrived at the mountain gate and landed directly in front of Tani. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two went to his residence and took their seats as host and guest.

"Fellow Daoist Tani, what brings you here today?"

Tani took out a storage bag: "Fellow Daoist Song, I have finished refining the Transmission Leaf you requested. There are thirty-six leaves in total, and they are all here."

Song Xian quickly reached out and took it, then used his divine sense to explore inside. Inside, there were dozens of exquisite wooden boxes stacked one after another.

He flipped his hand and took out a wooden box. When he opened it, he saw a palm-sized, silver leaf-shaped object inside, less than an inch thick. This was the Transmission Leaf. Below it was a silver paper scroll.

Song Xian took it out of the wooden box and held it in his hand. It had a cool, metallic feel, and both sides of it were engraved with dense, ghostly patterns.

"Fellow Daoist Tani, you once said that cultivators can use this item to perform spatial manipulation techniques. I wonder how this item is used?"

"The method is simple. Just stick the silver paper roll on your body. When you use it, activate the runes with your spiritual power, and you can briefly travel through space and instantly arrive next to the Transmission Leaf. But each Transmission Leaf can only be used once."

"Fellow Daoist, could you demonstrate once?"

“No problem. Let’s find an open space where I can demonstrate how to use it to Fellow Daoist Song.”

Song Xian then led him to the back mountain where he usually practiced magic. Tani threw the Chuan Kong Ye to the ground thirty or forty feet away, held the silver scroll in his hand, and poured spiritual power into it. The runes on the silver scroll seemed to come alive, radiating a dazzling silver light that enveloped Tani's entire body.

The next moment, Tani disappeared from his original spot and reappeared next to Chuan Kongye.

Song Xian's eyes lit up. He noticed that the moment Tani was enveloped in silver light, he saw an unusual spatial fluctuation around her.

Within his True Eye of Insight, the space around him and Chuan Kongye exhibited almost identical spatial fluctuations. As the fluctuations grew larger, a barely perceptible crack could be faintly seen appearing in the otherwise stable space.

It turned out to be the case.

Song Xian's eyes were burning with desire; he felt that he had already glimpsed the basics of spatial manipulation.

At this moment, the silver paper scroll had already turned into fragments and scattered, and the Chuan Kong leaf had also lost its original luster.

Tani picked up the silver teleportation leaf from the ground, squeezed it with a little force, and heard a cracking sound as several cracks appeared on its surface.

"After being used, the Transmission Leaf becomes extremely fragile due to the effects of spatial vibrations, so it can only be used once." Tani released his hand, and the Transmission Leaf fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces with a snap.

Song Xian picked up the shattered Transmission Leaf, gently stroking the scribbled patterns on its surface, carefully observing its changes: "Why exactly can this Transmission Leaf help cultivators briefly travel through space? Since you crafted this item, do you know the principle behind it?"

Tani frowned slightly: "To be honest, I don't really understand the principle. I just followed the method of refining recorded in the book. This is a simplified version of the teleportation array. Fellow Daoist Song should know that a teleportation array requires two identical arrays to activate their power in order to teleport a person from here to the other side."

"The Chuan Kong Ye is also ordinary. The patterns on the silver paper scroll and the Chuan Kong Ye are the same, and both have spatial attributes."

"When the Transmission Scroll Rune is activated, the runes engraved on the Transmission Leaf will also be affected and activated."

"At this point, a subtle connection was formed between them. As I understand it, it's as if an invisible bridge has been built between them."

Song Xian nodded thoughtfully: "How far can the Transmission Leaf be used? Or is there no distance limit, and the Space Transmission Leaf can be used to perform spatial manipulation techniques no matter how far away you are?"

"It's impossible to have no distance limitations. Even teleportation arrays have certain distance limitations. The maximum distance a teleportation leaf can travel is no more than one hundred feet."

Within a hundred feet, it can sense the Transmission Scroll, allowing cultivators to traverse short distances through space; beyond a hundred feet, it cannot.

Song Xian was slightly disappointed that it was only a hundred feet. He knew that many Foundation Establishment cultivators' spells could cover a range of a hundred feet.

At a distance of a hundred feet, let alone escaping danger, one cannot even escape the range of the opponent's spell attack. Not to mention that before casting the spell, one must pour in spiritual power to activate the Transmission Scroll patterns and wait for the Transmission Leaf to respond and then generate resonance. In that time, a Foundation Establishment cultivator could run hundreds of feet.

Looking at it this way, this thing really is a bit of a waste!

Unless it has a miraculous effect in certain specific situations, it is generally useless.

"Fellow Daoist must have spent a lot of spirit stones to refine these Transcendent Leaves! Since you have gone to so much trouble to refine these items for me, I should bear the cost."

Tani waved his hand generously: "Fellow Daoist Song, there's no need to be so polite. If it weren't for your help, I would have already become food for that monster. What's a mere expenditure of spirit stones? Besides, we found the Xuan Kong Tree together, and you contributed a lot. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to retrieve the Xuan Kong Tree. This was the agreed-upon condition. You only need to hand over the Xuan Kong Tree spirit wood to me."

"Fellow Daoist, you are so magnanimous. In that case, I will not say anything more." Song Xian flipped his hand and took out a black bottle from his storage bag: "Please accept this as a token of my appreciation."

Tani didn't stand on ceremony, took the bottle, opened it, and saw that it was full of white lotion, with a rich spiritual aroma wafting out.

"What is this?" Tani looked at him with some confusion.

Song Xian smiled and said, "This bottle of spiritual milk is enough to restore a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator from a state of spiritual depletion to full strength, which is just right for your current cultivation level."

“A hundred-year-old spirit milk?” Upon hearing this, Tani’s eyes narrowed. He had certainly heard of spirit milk, but had never seen it before, so he did not recognize it: “This…this is too precious.”

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so polite. Not to mention the trouble you've gone to in refining the Xuan Kong Leaf over the years, the matter of the Soul-Severing Crystal wouldn't have gone so smoothly without your guidance. A mere bottle of spiritual milk is nothing. If you consider me a friend, please accept it."

Song Xian was not a petty person, and besides, the other party had helped him so much, he would not let the other party suffer a loss.

Whether Tani is willing or not, or is only doing it to repay a debt of gratitude, he will not let the other party make one-sided sacrifices.

He firmly believes that a win-win situation is the foundation for long-term cooperation.

Moreover, since he still needed the other party's help with the matter of the Soul-Severing Crystal, this half-bottle of spiritual milk was nothing to him.

As long as this trade route can be maintained, it will bring him a continuous supply of spiritual milk.

"Then thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Song." Tani did not refuse and happily put the spirit milk into her pocket.

"I hope you will keep today's events a secret, fellow Daoist. I don't want anyone else to know about either the Transcendent Leaf or the Spirit Milk." Song Xian was mainly worried about the group on Yinyuan Island. If they knew that he was collecting a large number of Soul-Severing Crystals and possessed Spirit Milk, they would easily associate it with the Ghost Spirit Pearl being in his possession.

"Fellow Daoist Song, rest assured, I will keep this matter to myself and will never reveal a word of it to anyone."

(End of this chapter)