From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 268 Clear Pool Spirit Liquid
"Peach Blossom Immortal?"

Tuoba Yaowu recognized Xiang Zhiye; they had met once before, but they weren't particularly close.

"When I see him, I'll make him release my nephew."

In Tuoba Yaowu's view, he had this face.

If a Golden Core cultivator were to demand someone's hand in person, the other party would certainly not hold a grudge against his nephew, who was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Tuoba Hongyang thus "returned" to his family's ranks and acted alongside his clansmen.

The Tuoba family may seem small, with only about a hundred members, but their overall strength should not be underestimated.

The leader of the team, Tuoba Yaowu, was a Golden Core cultivator with three markings, while the rest were all in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Furthermore, according to Tuoba Yaowu, his Tuoba family also has another, stronger team operating elsewhere in the Wilderness Mountains. The two teams communicate via communication talismans and can support each other in critical moments.

When they are not on duty, they spend their days practicing in the sacred ground.

Once they have a target, they move out like a pack of wolves that have smelled blood.

Spiritual lands, spiritual plants, demonic beasts—cultivators from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty, or even those from Zhennan Prefecture, whatever their target, as long as the Tuoba family discovers an opportunity, they will stop at nothing to seize it.

Meanwhile, Tuoba Yaowu sent people to inquire about Xiang Zhiye's whereabouts.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the desolate marshland mountains.

Xiang Zhiye was followed by thirty or forty people. He looked into the depths of the Wilderness Mountain Range and asked, "Have you thought it through? The Wilderness Mountain Range is extremely dangerous. Even I cannot guarantee that I will escape unscathed."

Several months ago, the Yuanli County Immortal Army he led was ambushed and besieged by a horde of demonic beasts.

Two powerful third-tier demonic beasts chased him for over a thousand miles.

He ultimately escaped using a secret technique, but it had a significant side effect: his strength would be weakened for a period of time.

To avoid being ambushed again, Xiang Zhiye simply left the Huangze Mountains and returned to the Xiang family in Gu Nan City.

He recuperated in the family for several months to recover, and also handed over the massive resources he had collected in the Wilderness Mountains over the past three years to the family.

This time, when he returned to the Wilderness Mountains, thirty or forty members of his family followed him.

Although the Xiang family is one of the five major Golden Core families in Zhennan Prefecture, the "Golden Core opportunity" in the family cannot be taken care of by everyone.

Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators are everywhere, but Golden Core Realm cultivators are absolute powerhouses in any family in Zhennan Prefecture.

The bottleneck between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core is a major obstacle for 99% of cultivators.

Hoping for a "Golden Core opportunity," Foundation Establishment cultivators who had no hope of advancing in their families followed Xiang Zhiye to the Wilderness Mountains to try their luck.

These thirty or forty people were all at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, or at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

"What is this little danger on the path of cultivation?"

"What is there to fear, even death, in pursuit of the Golden Elixir?"

"..."

Most of these people are over two hundred years old, at a very crucial juncture. If they cannot reach the Golden Core stage, their lives will end there.

Xiang Zhiye had anticipated their response and was merely offering a friendly reminder to his clansmen.

"In that case, let's go."

He led his group into the desolate swamp mountains.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A second-tier spiritual land next to the poisonous fog.

The Xu family members were cultivating in seclusion here.

For the past few months, they have been living in seclusion, spending most of their time cultivating and practicing their skills in their cave.

At this moment, Xu Xiaoniu flew back from outside.

"Brother, is there any news?"

They were not isolated from the world; every now and then they would go out to gather information and find out about the current situation of various forces.

Xu Xiaoniu shook his head: "We still haven't found out the whereabouts of our Yuanli County Immortal Army and Peach Blossom True Man. Could it be that he... has perished?"

During this time, they met many cultivators from Yuanli County, who, like them, were scattered in various places.

However, they couldn't find out Xiang Zhiye's whereabouts, which made them wonder if Xiang Zhiye was dead.

"If someone of our strength can survive, then a Golden Core cultivator from a powerful family must have many hidden advantages. They won't die so easily, will they?"

"Whether he lives or dies, we're carefree here and don't need any celestial army."

It was Li Kun who spoke.

They spent this time in seclusion, undisturbed by the outside world, and lived a comfortable life.

Where is Jiang Hao?

Xu Xiaoniu discovered that Jiang Hao was not there and did not know where he had gone.

"He went searching for spiritual plants again. By the way, where is the Liao family that buys spiritual plants and sells pills? We have quite a few spiritual plant resources on us, we need to find a suitable opportunity to exchange them for spiritual pills."

"Let me inquire further..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It's over a hundred miles away from here.

Jiang Hao was carefully searching for spiritual plants in a seemingly inconspicuous deep mountain forest.

The Wilderness Mountain Range is rich in spiritual plant resources; as long as you search diligently, you can always find spiritual plants.

Even in wild mountains without any spiritual land grade, one can find first-grade spiritual plants.

Jiang Hao was at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. He came to the Desolate Marsh Mountain Range to accumulate resources for his family, not for the opportunity to obtain the Golden Core.

He's still far from reaching the Golden Core stage. Let alone the Golden Core realm, he'd be content if he could even reach the late Foundation Establishment stage in his lifetime.

He is a self-made man, born into an ordinary family.

He knew all too well how difficult the path of cultivation would be without family support.

So after arriving in the desolate mountains, he worked hard to earn resources, hoping to leave more for his children and grandchildren.

During this time, he would search for spiritual plants in the outside world in his spare time from cultivating his skills.

Although he could only find a few first-tier spiritual plants in this desolate wilderness, little by little, he could collect a dozen or twenty first-tier spiritual plants on each trip, which would amount to two or three hundred spirit stones.

Such opportunities to earn resources are unavailable in Yuanli County.

Without the "exploitation" of the Golden Core Commander, Jiang Hao owned all the spiritual plants he found, which gave him great motivation.

For three days in a row, he searched for spiritual plants outside.

"This was a good haul, haha."

Jiang Hao harvested nearly thirty spiritual plants this time.

Just as he was about to return, he noticed that the concentration of spiritual energy around him had increased slightly.

"Spiritual land?"

"There's actually a hidden sacred site here?"

Jiang Hao exclaimed in surprise.

Some sacred sites are so small that they are not easily noticed.

They had explored the surrounding area and did not recall any spiritual sites here, indicating that this was a spiritual site that was not easily detected.

"Investigate further."

Jiang Hao was excited; a spiritual place meant abundant resources.

He used his inner energy to rise up and hover several feet in the air, checking the concentration of spiritual energy in the vicinity.

To his surprise, the concentration of spiritual energy increased rapidly as he moved forward.

Within a mere mile, the concentration of spiritual energy rises from the level of an ordinary place to the quality of a first-tier spiritual land, and it continues to increase.

"The ravine ahead!"

According to Jiang Hao's judgment, this spiritual land is indeed very small, only about two or three miles in circumference.

However, the concentration of spiritual energy is not low. In the core area, in a valley, the concentration of spiritual energy reaches the second-tier quality.

"Great, this spiritual land seems to have been discovered by no one yet..." However, what to do next made Jiang Hao hesitate.

"Should we tell them?"

If Jiang Hao were to monopolize this sacred land, he could reap a wealth of resources.

But his life was saved by the Xu family. If it weren't for them, he would likely have died in the attack by the monster horde.

"Let's tell them anyway."

Jiang Hao thought to himself.

Although he wanted to monopolize all the resources, he gave up the idea of ​​"monopolizing" them in order to better integrate into the Xu family and to make his thoughts clear.

He turned and flew away.

Unbeknownst to him, shortly after he left, intense battle fluctuations erupted in the valley.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

in the valley.

The four Foundation Establishment cultivators split into two sides.

One side has a Foundation Establishment Level 7 and a Foundation Establishment Level 6, while the other side only has two Foundation Establishment Level 5 members.

Judging from their accents and clothing, it was clear that these four people were from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty.

That Foundation Establishment Level 6 cultivator was named Chen Mosheng.

He glared at the two Foundation Establishment Level 5 cultivators and said, "So that's why you two have been acting so suspiciously lately. You've discovered a hidden spiritual site and are keeping it a secret!"

Their group, belonging to the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty, was sent out by the Golden Core commander to search for a sacred land.

These two people discovered the sacred site, but chose to keep it a secret.

To prevent them from concealing their identities, the Golden Core Commander paired them up in teams of two, with the two team members being complete strangers. Furthermore, there would be a substantial reward for discovering sacred sites.

They also arranged for inspectors to monitor them.

However, despite all these measures, it still couldn't prevent someone from concealing the truth.

Among the Foundation Establishment Level 5 cultivators, one pleaded for mercy, saying, "My lords, please spare our lives! This second-tier spiritual land is very well hidden and not easily discovered. We were momentarily blinded and thought we could conceal it..."

Currently, only the four of us know about this; no one else is aware of it.

Another Foundation Establishment Level 5 cultivator pleaded for mercy while also enticing, "If you two are willing to let us go, you can keep all the spiritual resources of this land. No one will know, and we will absolutely keep our mouths shut."

"If... if you're worried we'll change our minds, we can split it among the four of us. That way, no one will dare tell anyone..."

The Foundation Establishment Stage 7 cultivator beside Chen Mosheng angrily cursed, "Dream on! You two are courting death, don't drag us into it! Surrender and come back with us to accept your punishment, or don't blame us for being impolite."

"..."

The two men exchanged a glance, then suddenly roared, "We'll fight you to the death!"

Just as Chen Mosheng and the other person were on guard, they saw that the two of them had only made a feint before turning around and fleeing.

Given their cultivation levels, it was impossible for them to defeat Chen Mosheng and his companion; their only option was to flee.

Chen Mosheng and her companion gave chase.

Knowing they were doomed, the two began to fight to the death, resorting to desperate measures.

Even those at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, at the seventh level, were giving it their all in the battle.

After a fierce battle, the two Foundation Establishment Level 5 cultivators ultimately lost due to the difference in their cultivation levels and died with regret.

"Let's go back and report."

The seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator picked up the two people's storage pouches and turned to fly away.

"it is good."

Chen Mosheng seized an opportunity the moment he turned his back to her.

"puff--"

Several black poisonous vines sprouted from his arm and pierced towards the dantian of the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

The thorns of the vines, imbued with potent spiritual poison, pierced the target's body, and the toxin spread.

"Ok?"

The opponent was, after all, at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, a higher level, and reacted extremely quickly to the sneak attack from his ally.

He turned around incredulously, forcing Chen Mosheng back: "What...what are you doing?"

He didn't understand why his teammate ambushed him.

Chen Mosheng smiled wryly. His strength was still a bit weak, otherwise he wouldn't have given the other party a chance to speak.

"I had intended to discuss dividing this sacred land with you, but given your personality, I'm afraid you won't allow it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Mosheng made her move again.

Now that he has taken the initiative, he will not hold back any longer.

"You... Hmph, how did someone like you get into the inspection team?! You're asking for death!"

That person was, after all, at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. Even after being poisoned by a sneak attack, he still had the strength to fight.

However, his dantian was being corroded by the spiritual poison. If he focused on refining the poison, he wouldn't die from it.

However, Chen Mosheng, a Foundation Establishment Level 6 cultivator, was also fighting against him. He was "besieged from both inside and outside," and after a fierce battle, he was ultimately defeated and died.

"That's perfect, I can do it all myself, no need to share with anyone, haha~~"

Chen Mosheng ambushed his teammates, gaining the upper hand and killing a Foundation Establishment Level 7 cultivator who was stronger than him.

In fact, when dealing with those two Foundation Establishment Level 5 members earlier, Chen Mosheng deliberately concealed his strength, causing his Foundation Establishment Level 7 teammate to expend more spiritual energy.

It must be said that his plan was very successful.

"Don't blame me, it's just that I discovered the Clear Pool Spirit Liquid was born in this second-tier spiritual land. This Clear Pool Spirit Liquid is more than enough for me to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. I simply couldn't resist such a temptation~~"

This was the main reason why Chen Mosheng decided to ambush her teammate.

Clear Pool Spirit Liquid is a treasure resource that Chen Mosheng knows about, which is often found in second-tier spirit lands of higher quality.

Although this second-tier spiritual land is extremely small, the valley at its core has a very high concentration of spiritual energy.

In the valley, there is a clear pool of water.

The pool of water was a crystal-clear blue, like a gemstone, and exuded a rich spiritual aura.

The pool is not large, with an opening diameter of only ten feet and a shallow depth of only three feet.

However, this small pool is worth more than 100,000 spirit stones.

Every drop of water in the pool contains pure spiritual energy. This energy, with its water-like properties that nourish all things, is more easily absorbed than the energy in spirit stones.

As far as Chen Mosheng knew, this Clear Pool Spirit Liquid was most suitable for cultivators practicing water-based techniques, and it was also more beneficial for cultivators practicing wood and earth-based techniques, but it was of no benefit to cultivators practicing metal-based techniques.

If one cultivates fire-based techniques, the spiritual energy gained from absorbing the pool water will be halved.

"Heal your wounds first. After you've used this Clear Pool Elixir, you'll have to leave."

The two people who discovered this sacred place are dead. Chen Mosheng also killed his teammates. He can't go back to his original team, otherwise the deaths of the others cannot be explained.

If the Golden Core Commander were to investigate, he would surely be able to find out what he had done.

He was willing to desert his post for the sake of this Qingtan Spirit Liquid, which was worth over 100,000.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A second-tier spiritual land a hundred miles away.

Jiang Hao returned and explained to the Xu family the hidden spiritual site he had discovered.

His actions indeed increased the Xu family's goodwill towards him.

Because Jiang Hao could have kept it all to himself, but he chose to come back and tell them.

“Zhongxu, you and Jiang Hao should go. You’re more capable of finding spiritual plants.”

Xu Xiaoniu said.

With Zhongxu's abilities, he could search through all the spiritual plants in a small, second-tier spiritual land in half a day.

He planned to wait until Zhongxu retrieved the spiritual plants before discussing how to distribute them. Since Jiang Hao was the one who discovered them, Jiang Hao would definitely get the lion's share.

(End of this chapter)