Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Chapter 7 Ancient Azure Demon Fire

Qingyouzi flew for several more days.

The deeper one goes, the denser the spiritual energy becomes, especially the wood-attribute spiritual energy, which almost condenses into a pale blue mist. The forest beneath one's feet also becomes increasingly lush, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and vines like pythons, exuding a primal aura everywhere.

He flew very slowly, spreading his divine sense over twenty miles to explore carefully.

As they were flying, a surge of magical power, mixed with demonic energy, suddenly emanated from their side.

Qingyouzi paused slightly and looked down.

In the clearing below, two early-stage Golden Core cultivators were battling a late-stage third-tier demonic beast. The beast resembled a black panther, with bone spurs on its back, and was extremely fast with sharp claws. The two Golden Core cultivators, one wielding a flying sword and the other a bronze mirror magic weapon, cooperated quite well, yet they were still at a disadvantage.

Qingyouzi glanced at it only once before looking away.

Having received nine years of compulsory education in his previous life, he deeply understands the principle of respecting the fate of others. Everyone has their own opportunities and their own tribulations.

He swayed slightly, intending to pass silently overhead.

Just then, a whisper drifted on the wind.

"Senior brother, let's feign an attack to lure this beast away, and then sneak into that cave!"

"There must be treasure inside!"

The voice was kept extremely low, yet not a single word reached Qingyouzi's ears.

He stopped abruptly.

"oh?"

Qingyouzi turned his head and looked down. He carefully scanned the forest with his divine sense and, sure enough, found a hidden cave entrance on the cliff behind the demonic beast. The entrance was covered by vines and was easily missed if one did not look closely.

A faint spiritual energy emanated from the cave; though not strong, it was exceptionally pure.

"That cave ahead has thousand-year-old spiritual milk, so what kind of high-level treasure will this place hold? It's really hard to guess!"

Aoyuko's lips curled up slightly.

"Hehehe, since I, your ancestor, have heard this, then we are destined to meet."

The battle is raging below.

With a roar, the black panther beast transformed into a shadow, its sharp claws aimed straight at the cultivator wielding the bronze mirror. The man hurriedly activated the bronze mirror, its surface emitting a yellow light, barely managing to block the attack, but he was still shaken, his blood churning.

The other person thrust forward with his sword, the sword light as bright as a rainbow, but it only managed to slash the beast's fur.

"Senior brother, you can't hold on much longer!"

"Wait a little longer..."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110 ...

Before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened.

Countless blue threads descended from the sky, as thin as hair, silently.

"What's going on?!"

Before the two Golden Core cultivators could react, they felt a tightness around their bodies as they were firmly bound by the silk threads, unable to move. The black leopard demon beast fared even worse; the silk threads pierced through its protective demonic aura, instantly shredding its throat and dantian, leaving it no time to even scream.

A jet-black demon core was rolled out by a silk thread and floated in mid-air.

The two looked up in alarm.

A Taoist priest in a green robe slowly descended, his face ordinary, but his eyes as deep as a cold pool.

The pressure from the Nascent Soul cultivator was as imposing as a mountain.

"Senior, please spare my life!" the sword-wielding cultivator pleaded in a trembling voice.

The other person, his face ashen, murmured, "Junior brother, I have no regrets about being able to cultivate alongside you in this life..."

"Let's be brothers again in the next life."

Qingyouzi was speechless.

These two are just like him when he was young! They're always talking about "being brothers in the next life," but when it really comes down to life and death, who will remember whom?

He suppressed his inner complaints and forced out what he thought was a kind smile.

"My two young friends."

The voice was gentle, yet it made both of them tremble.

"You just mentioned there's treasure here?" Qingyouzi looked towards the hidden cave entrance. "Could it be referring to that place?"

The two exchanged a glance and nodded hesitantly.

Qingyouzi probed the cave entrance with his divine sense. The closer he got, the more he could feel the pure wood-attribute spiritual energy surging within, like a tide.

There really was something.

His smile widened: "Since that's the case, I won't take away your opportunity. However..."

He paused, his tone still gentle: "I am quite curious about what's inside. Why don't you take me in to have a look?"

The two men were deathly pale.

This isn't about "not seizing the opportunity"; it's clearly about sending them to test the waters and explore the path!

But with a Nascent Soul cultivator right in front of them, would they dare to say no?

"This junior...yes."

The two gritted their teeth and agreed, and the silk thread loosened. They stretched their stiff limbs and walked towards the cave entrance with a forced smile.

Qingyouzi stood with his hands behind his back, following three steps behind, strolling leisurely.

The vines at the cave entrance were parted, revealing a deep passage. The interior was dimly lit, but not eerie; instead, it had a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The further you go in, the denser the wood elemental energy becomes.

Qing Youzi's heart burned with excitement. Such pure wood spiritual energy must contain an extraordinary spiritual object. Was it a thousand-year-old spirit tree? Or an ancient wood-type magical treasure?

He secretly looked forward to it.

At the end of the passage, the view suddenly opened up.

It was a natural stone chamber, more than ten feet in circumference. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and glowing moss grew on the stone walls, casting a deep green glow inside.

In the center of the stone chamber stood a bluish-gray stone tablet, about five feet tall, simple and unadorned. The rich spiritual energy of wood emanated from the stone tablet.

On the ground in front of the monument lies a light blue jade plaque.

Qingyouzi's eyes lit up.

"My two young friends, go and fetch that jade token for me."

The voice is undeniable.

The swordsman swallowed hard and cautiously stepped forward. He first used his divine sense to examine the jade tablet, confirming it was harmless, before reaching out to pick it up and turning to present it with both hands.

Qingyouzi took the jade pendant, its surface smooth and warm to the touch.

He separated a wisp of his divine consciousness and probed into it.

There were no restrictions inside the jade tablet, only a few lines of text, engraved with divine sense:

Birds can fly, birds have legs and can walk, and fish swim in water.

"The child was born to his mother, his mother was born to his grandmother, and his grandmother was born to his great-grandmother."

"Your father was here. In short, I've taken the legacy of this place. Aren't you angry?"

The smile on Qingyouzi's face froze instantly.

His knuckles were white and the veins were bulging as he held the jade pendant.

"I--!"

He almost blurted out a curse, but swallowed it back down.

"Snapped!"

The jade pendant was crushed to pieces, turning into bluish-gray dust that fell down in a flurry.

"Don't let me know who it is..." he gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with cold light.

The two Golden Core cultivators standing nearby were terrified, their backs soaked in cold sweat, and they didn't dare to even breathe.

Qingyouzi took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.

He didn't believe it.

The wood elemental energy here is so pure that there could never be only this one broken jade tablet.

My gaze fell back on the stone tablet.

He suddenly noticed that there were subtle indentations on the moss at the bottom of the stone tablet, as if someone had moved it and then hurriedly put it back in its original position.

"You two," Qingyouzi said coldly, "lift this stone tablet."

The two dared not delay and quickly stepped forward. They braced their four hands against the sides of the stone tablet, channeled their full magical power, and suddenly exerted their strength.

"rise--!"

The stone tablet was as heavy as a mountain. The two men, their faces flushed and veins bulging on their foreheads, barely managed to lift it an inch.

Within that tiny gap, the purest wood elemental energy surged forth like a flood!

Immediately afterwards, a ball of blue flame suddenly shot up from the base of the monument!

The flame, no bigger than a fist, exuded an ancient and eerie aura. The moment it appeared, the indoor temperature soared, and even the stone walls began to melt.

"ah--!"

The two Golden Core cultivators screamed in agony.

The azure flames had already spread up their arms, enveloping their entire bodies in the blink of an eye. The protective aura of the Golden Core stage cultivators was like paper in front of the flames, instantly dissipating.

The two struggled in agony, their flesh rapidly charring in the flames. Their eyes were filled with despair as they looked at Qingyouzi, their lips moving as if pleading for help.

Qingyouzi didn't even glance at them.

His gaze was fixed on the blue flame, his eyes blazing with intense light.

"Ancient Azure Demon Flame..."

He muttered to himself, his voice filled with barely suppressed ecstasy.

The legendary ancient demonic fire was born in the Land of Extreme Wood and was formed over ten thousand years. This fire possesses both the vitality of wood and the malevolence of a demon; if it can be refined, its power will be boundless.

"Hahaha!"

Qingyouzi burst into laughter.

He glanced at the two Golden Core cultivators struggling in the flames, his tone casual:

"In view of your merits, I, your ancestor, will take pity on you and end your suffering sooner."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his finger.

Two beams of blue light entered the space between their eyebrows.

The screams stopped abruptly.

The two charred corpses crashed to the ground, but the blue flames did not go out; instead, they hovered in mid-air, burning silently.

Qingyouzi stepped forward slowly, and countless threads quietly emerged from her sleeves, forming layers of protective nets in front of her.

He stared at the ball of demonic fire, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"With this fire, and combined with my myriad threads..."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.