At the age of one hundred, I inquired about the Dao, awakening the supreme spiritual root that shatt

Ling Xiu was filled with curiosity, but even more so with anticipation.

He looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he summoned the Blood Shadow Sword, controlled his strength, and thrust it towards the barrier.

hum!

The space rippled, and a slight tremor resounded in my ears.

Ling Xiu quickly smelled a rich fragrance of spiritual fruit, accompanied by a strong fire-attribute aura that permeated the surroundings.

Hidden beneath the restrictions was a small tree bearing five crimson fruits.

The fruit is plump and round, exuding a pure and rich fire-attribute spiritual energy, and containing a vast and pure spiritual power.

"This...this is the Fire Yang Spirit Fruit!"

Moreover, it is a thousand-year-old Fire Yang Spirit Fruit, such a rare treasure, its grade must be at least Earth Rank.

Direct refining can not only greatly improve one's cultivation level, but it can also be used to smelt other Earth-grade pills.

This item is extremely beneficial for tempering the physical body, and cultivators who have attained the True Essence stage will benefit immensely from it.

It is a rare treasure that is hard to come by, and even a cultivator at the Profound Realm would covet it.

Judging from the quality of this spiritual fruit, it has already reached the top grade.

A top-grade Earth-rank, thousand-year-old Fire Yang Spirit Fruit!

Without delay, he carefully broke the barrier.

The entire sapling, along with its five spirit fruits and complete root system with soil attached, was dug up and placed into an exquisite wooden box.

He moved with extreme caution, but as soon as he closed the lid and sealed the box, someone nearby noticed his presence.

The newcomer was a young cultivator with an arrogant and domineering voice, eyes filled with greed, and a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Stop! Boy, hand over the Thousand-Year Fire Yang Spirit Fruit and I might spare your life! You mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, do you even deserve to possess this treasure?"

Ling Xiu turned to look at the young man, and his heart suddenly tightened.

The burly man was nearly two meters tall, with bulging muscles in his arms, displaying his immense strength.

This person was in the mid-stage of the Condensation Realm, and was staring intently at him with a fierce gaze.

He exuded an intense killing intent without any attempt to conceal it, suggesting that he had been attracted by the fragrance of the spiritual fruit and found his way here.

"Fellow Daoist, judging from your attire, you should be a disciple of the Xuanling Sect."

I discovered this treasure first, why should I just hand it over to you?

Ling Xiu met his gaze coldly, his fists clenching silently.

"I told you to let it go, so you have to. Stop with the nonsense! If you know what's good for you, get lost, or you'll be courting death!"

The Xuanling Sect disciple grinned maliciously as he slowly approached, his body surging with a violent and turbulent aura.

Clearly, he possesses superior body-refining techniques and is indeed quite confident in his abilities.

"Oh? What if I refuse to hand it in?"

Ling Xiu let out a cold snort, his eyes revealing a murderous intent.

Since a battle is inevitable, there's no need to deliberately conceal our strength.

"Then go die!"

The Xuanling Sect disciple instantly unleashed his full cultivation, launching a powerful attack straight at Ling Xiu.

Ling Xiu remained unmoved. Just as the opponent rushed close, he suddenly activated the Blood Shadow Sword, and a dazzling sword light shot out.

With unparalleled speed and a flash of cold light, it aimed straight for the opponent's face.

At the same time, a subtle, sharp ray of light silently shot out from his left hand.

The Xuanling Sect disciple was slightly taken aback, his face filled with disbelief.

"Hmm? A mere rogue cultivator, only at the early stage of True Condensation, dares to attack me?"

He threw a punch, and the fist imprint collided violently with the sharp sword light, causing a violent fluctuation of spiritual energy to rise around him.

boom!

A loud explosion rang out, and the male cultivator was terrified. He was so shocked by the sword strike that his blood and qi surged, and a bloody gash appeared on his fist.

His protective aura was directly cleaved through, and his body trembled violently.

"Such combat power at the early stage of the True Condensation Realm? This magic weapon is a top-grade Xuan-level artifact!"

After realizing Ling Xiu's strength, he hurriedly withdrew and backed away, clasping his hands together as if to submit.

"Fellow Daoist, it was my fault just now, all because of my momentary greed. I will leave now and willingly admit defeat!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a chilling glint of light shot through the air, catching him off guard.

puff!

In an instant, the Demon-Sealing Arrow pierced through his brow!

Since you've plotted to take my life, you should be prepared to die here.

The young man's eyes were wide open as an invisible arrow pierced his body.

His body stiffened, a look of horror froze on his face, and his consciousness rapidly faded.

That two-meter-tall, burly body crashed heavily to the ground!

Ling Xiu remained expressionless as he retrieved the Demon-Sealing Arrow, casually put away the Blood Shadow Sword, and stepped forward to take the Qiankun Bag from the corpse.

He condensed a mysterious fire spell at his fingertips, dealt with the scene, and quickly left.

In less than twenty breaths, the entire corpse was burned to ashes by the raging fire.

Decisive and ruthless in his actions, clean and efficient—that is Ling Xiu.

Just as he was making his full-speed retreat from the area, a cool and aloof figure stood quietly beside the ruins and broken walls, taking in everything that had just happened.

The person's clothes fluttered in the wind, her skin was as white as snow, and her appearance was cold and beautiful. It was Yun Ziling.

"Yun Ziling? When did she arrive here? I didn't notice at all!"

Ling Xiu was slightly startled, but he didn't linger and immediately turned around to leave her sight.

Now that he looks younger, it's best to avoid contact with old acquaintances. He must not reveal his true identity at the moment, he thought to himself.

He deduced that Yun Ziling must have just arrived here and happened to witness him killing the Xuanling Sect disciple.

At this moment, Yun Ziling was filled with surprise and doubt. The figure, back view, and fighting habits of that person were very similar to someone she knew well.

"Who exactly is this person? Why does everything he does resemble him so much...?"

But then she thought about it again. The man she had just met looked young and handsome, while Ling Xiu was already a hundred years old and his cultivation was still at the Qi Refining Realm. The two were completely incompatible, so she shook her head and chuckled.

"How could it be him? I must be overthinking it. There are countless people in the world who look alike."

She watched Ling Xiu walk away but did not go forward to stop him.

Then it transformed into a streak of blue light and headed deeper into the secret realm.

On the other side, Ling Xiu broke out in a cold sweat.

He wasn't worried about Yun Ziling recognizing his true identity; he just remembered that Ye Chunqiu was guarding outside the secret realm.

Who knows if the group of powerful experts outside the secret realm have been spying on what's happening inside?

This place is not safe to stay in for long. Having made up his mind, he did not delay any longer and sped off.

He then used his earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape into the ground) to return to the previous Medicine Spirit Garden.

Just as it broke through the soil and landed in a patch of overgrown weeds, a figure suddenly appeared.

The woman was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure.

Her face was covered by a veil, obscuring her true features, but she was surrounded by a faint fragrance, and her long black hair cascaded down like a willow branch. Just by looking at her silhouette, one could tell that she was an absolute beauty.

His eyes were sharp and piercing, with a chilling aura.

Her extraordinary temperament gave Ling Xiu a strong sense of mystery. What shocked him even more was that this woman's cultivation level was already at the Great Perfection of the Condensation Realm.

"Fellow Daoist, what advice do you have for me?"

Ling Xiu stopped in his tracks, staring warily at the woman.

Once the opponent makes a move, he immediately summons a top-grade spirit lightning talisman. Although it cannot severely injure the opponent, it can restrain them for a moment, enough for him to find an opportunity to escape.

He wasn't afraid; he just didn't want to waste time on this person.

"You don't need to be wary. I mean no harm. I come from the Divine Demon Sect. I just witnessed you kill that Xuanling Sect disciple. Your actions were swift and ruthless, which made me a little curious about you."

The woman's tone was calm, revealing no trace of hostility.

Ling Xiu's heart tightened; there were others secretly watching.

Disciples from the twelve major sects gathered in this secret realm, truly a place where hidden talents reside.

He had scanned the surroundings with his divine sense, but he had not been able to detect the person's whereabouts from beginning to end.

He remained calm and looked at the woman, asking, "I don't quite understand what you mean, fellow Daoist."

"Your methods are remarkable, and your cunning is even more profound."

The woman in the tight black dress walked forward slowly, chuckled softly, and a pleasant giggle rang out.

"I watched the whole thing from the sidelines, but I didn't expect you to be so swift and get here first. It's quite a coincidence that we meet again."

At first, I genuinely believed you were only at the early stage of the True Condensation realm, but now it seems you deliberately concealed your cultivation level.

"Judging from the strength you've displayed, you're definitely not an ordinary rogue cultivator."