Chapter 401: A Review of the Gains A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 401: A Review of the Gains

The other two Core Formation cultivators also stopped their escape and looked at Senior Brother Cao with suspicion.

We saw Senior Brother Cao slowly raise the bronze compass in his hand, his arm trembling slightly.

He stared intently at the center of the compass, where there had been a faint but clear crimson dot of light, but now... it had completely extinguished and vanished without a trace!

Senior Brother Cao's face was extremely grim, his voice dry and trembling slightly as he said to the other three, "The three of you... look at this 'Unity Plate'... just now, the natal soul imprint that Uncle-Master Lieyang left in it... suddenly... collapsed and dissipated. What does this mean... I think I don't need to say more, right?"

"What?!"

"This...how is this possible?"

"The soul imprint has dissipated... Could it be that Uncle-Master Lieyang... met with some misfortune?"

Upon hearing this, the three were first stunned, then their faces turned deathly pale, their eyes filled with extreme shock and fear, and they all cried out in alarm!

They certainly understood what "the collapse and dissipation of the soul imprint" meant—only when the imprint's owner's soul was completely destroyed, or when they were sealed in a sealed space-time, and their soul was so weak that they could hardly maintain that trace of connection with this place, would the imprint left in the Heart-to-Heart Plate be like this!

This means that their Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Spirit Control Sect, the Peak Master of Blazing Sun Peak—Blazing Sun Venerable, may have just perished!

This cruel reality struck them like a bolt from the blue! The eagerness they had felt to make a name for themselves and show off to their ancestor was instantly extinguished by a bucket of icy water, replaced by boundless chill and panic.

From the moment they sensed that Uncle-Master Lieyang had stopped, only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea has passed! What kind of danger could cause a Nascent Soul cultivator to perish in such a short time? Was it the dying counterattack of the transformed Lieyang Bird? Or... was there an even more terrifying existence involved?

"Then... Senior Brother Cao, should we... should we continue on our way?" The female cultivator in the mid-stage of Core Formation asked hesitantly, her face pale and her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Just as the group was lost in confusion, at the gate of the Yuling Sect, on Tianzhu Peak...

The sect's protective formation has been fully activated, and a thick light curtain completely covers the entire mountain gate, radiating a terrifying and overwhelming pressure.

The disciples of each peak, especially the cultivators above the Core Formation stage, had already received strict orders and were in their positions, ready for battle. The air was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing.

On a relatively secluded side peak platform, Liu Yu was sitting cross-legged on a smooth boulder, silently circulating her internal energy to heal the minor internal injuries caused by the aftershocks of the Fiery Sun Bird's attack. Her complexion had regained some of its rosy hue.

However, at this moment—

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three loud bell tolls, heavier and longer than before, filled with sorrow and a sense of impending doom, suddenly resounded from the deepest part of the Yuling Sect mountain range, from the direction of the "Ancestral Hall," which symbolized the sect's supreme authority!

The sound of the bell pierced through the protective array of the mountain, instantly spreading to every corner of the mountain gate, clearly reaching the ears of every disciple, and striking heavily into their hearts!

Liu Yujiao's body trembled violently, and she suddenly opened her beautiful eyes, which were filled with disbelief, horror and confusion. Her face turned pale again in an instant.

"That bell...is...is it the Fallen Saint Bell? It means that our grandmaster uncle at the Nascent Soul stage...has fallen!"

She whispered, her voice trembling slightly. In the Imperial Spirit Sect, only the fall of a Nascent Soul stage elder would trigger the Fallen Saint Bell!

……

Meanwhile, at the Ghost Spirit Sect's headquarters, in the "Soul Lamp Hall," a place perpetually shrouded in eerie ghostly energy and accessible only to core elders.

A soft "poof" sound, like a candle flame going out, rang out.

An elder from the Ghost Spirit Sect, who was in charge of guarding the Soul Lamp Hall, was on his routine patrol. When his gaze swept over the rows of "Life Soul Lamps" representing the Nascent Soul stage elders at the highest point of the hall, his pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints, his face showed a look of terror as if he had seen a ghost, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Among the row of soul lamps, the eerie green soul lamp representing "Soul Shattering True Man" had actually gone out! Only a wisp of faint green smoke remained at the wick, slowly dissipating.

"Uncle Shattered Soul's soul lamp... went out?" The guard elder's Adam's apple bobbed as he uttered the words with difficulty.

……

The instigator of all this chaos—Luo Ming—was sitting calmly inside the speeding "Wind Shuttle." Although his face was still slightly pale, his eyes gleamed with undisguised excitement and satisfaction.

"Silver Moon, keep a close watch on the shuttle, and we're heading back to Qinghu Market at full speed," Luo Ming instructed Silver Moon, who was focused on piloting the shuttle.

"Don't worry, Brother Luo, leave it to me." Yin Yue replied crisply, manipulating the Wind Shuttle to its maximum speed, transforming into a pale blue phantom that was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye, flying silently above the clouds.

With everything arranged, Luo Ming began to tally and examine his gains from this thrilling yet incredibly rewarding experience.

He first opened a jade box that contained several talismans. Inside, there was a demon core that emitted an astonishing aura of demonic energy and blazing flames. It was the demon core of the Fiery Sun Bird.

"The demon core of the Fiery Sun Bird and the origin of the 'Golden Crow True Fire'... With these, the evolution path of my 'Fat Sun Bird' can be shortened by at least half! It may even be able to stimulate its deeper bloodline potential." Luo Ming nodded in satisfaction.

Although the demon core had consumed most of its magic power, Luo Ming had the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, which was fully capable of restoring the core to its peak state.

"Don't worry, this demon core is yours, no one will take it from you."

Luo Ming chuckled as he took out the highly spiritual demon core, calmed the excited Zhiyang Bird inside the spirit beast bracelet, and then placed it into the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, which was filled with fire-attribute spirit stones.

Then, he took out the storage bags of Venerable Lieyang and True Man Suihun.

The wealth of these two Nascent Soul stage elders far surpassed any of Luo Ming's previous gains. Even Luo Ming, who possessed a vast amount of wealth from the Void Heaven Palace, the Chaotic Star Sea, and other places, as well as a considerable number of high-grade spirit stones, couldn't help but feel his heart beat slightly faster at this moment.

In their storage bags, there were no fewer than ten magical treasures of various grades and powerful abilities, including six or seven top-grade magical treasures, such as the "Dry Light Mirror" belonging to Master Lieyang, which was damaged but still intact, the "Soul Devouring Short Blade" and the "Soul Sealing Lock" belonging to Master Suihun.

However, these magical treasures all have names and identities, so Luo Ming definitely can't just take them out and use them casually. He'll have to add some materials and refine them again later.

After putting away all the magical treasures, Luo Ming quickly found what interested him most—four bottles of rare pills specifically used to enhance the magical power of Nascent Soul stage cultivators!

These pills are all made from several or even more than a dozen kinds of ancient spiritual herbs. Their medicinal power is pure and potent, which can greatly accelerate the accumulation of magical power for Nascent Soul stage cultivators. They are priceless and have no market.

With the aid of these pills and the support of a large amount of spirit stones, the time it takes for Luo Ming to accumulate mana from the late Golden Core stage to the False Infant stage will be greatly shortened! This is no less significant to him than the Fiery Sun Bird Demon Pill.

Then came a mountain of various refining materials, spiritual herbs, spirit stones, cultivation manuals, and miscellaneous books, all piled up in a dazzling array.

Luo Ming quickly scanned the screen, his gaze suddenly lingering on a metal block no bigger than a baby's fist, which was a deep, dark gold color and exuded an unparalleled sharpness.

"Geng Jing!" Luo Ming's eyes shone brightly, overjoyed.

He knew how rare Geng Essence was. Lu Xuan had searched for decades and was only fortunate enough to find a small piece. He had a great need for this substance, and with this piece, Luo Ming could refine three more strands of Geng Essence Qi.

"Not bad, not bad. There are still eight strands left to reach the minimum requirement of twelve strands of Geng essence. I need to make the most of my time to collect this item."

According to the Azure Nether Scripture, a natal magic weapon enhanced with Geng essence will have its power increased several times. The Azure Nether Domain divine power, created by the combination of Geng essence and Xuan water, would be difficult for even a cultivator one level higher than Luo Ming to escape once they fell into it.

Unfortunately, Luo Ming had never heard of the existence of Xuanming True Water in Tiannan. If he could refine that thing into his natal magic weapon, the extreme cold power it released would be difficult for even a Nascent Soul cultivator to withstand.

"Since they are both extremely cold, I wonder if I could refine the Azure Ice Flame into them as a substitute, since they are both extremely cold..." Luo Ming thought with a bright look in his eyes.

However, given his current level of Core Formation cultivation, it's best not to recklessly tamper with the Azure Ice Flame.

He suppressed his excitement and carefully put away the Geng Essence along with the other precious materials. Finally, his gaze fell on something he had pulled out from the deepest part of the Shattered Soul True Person's storage bag.

It was a tattered map, made of some kind of animal hide, with worn and frayed edges, yellowed in color, and looking extremely old.

The lines of mountains and rivers on the map were already somewhat blurred, and the text marked on it was some kind of ancient seal script, much of which was already blurred and indistinct. Luo Ming could only barely make out a small part of it.

In the center of the map, there appears to be a mountain range marked with special markings, with several small words faintly discernible next to it, seemingly something like "...valley...entrance...danger..."

This map looked unremarkable, even somewhat tattered. But Luo Ming knew that something so precious and kept separately by a Nascent Soul Realm expert like Shattered Soul True Person was no ordinary item! The secrets hidden behind it or the location it pointed to were probably extraordinary.

"Unfortunately, this map is incomplete, and the writing is ancient and difficult to decipher, making it hard to discern any clues at the moment." Luo Ming studied it carefully for a while but failed to make any further discoveries, so he could only put it away for the time being and explore it slowly at a later opportunity.

"Hehe, this person does indeed possess the method for refining the Thousand Demon Banner, and it's not just the method." Luo Ming finally found what he needed most among a pile of jade slips.

That is the special method of refining the Thousand Demon Banner, which also includes the method of crafting.

After carefully examining the situation, he decided that once he returned to Qinghu Market, he would immediately begin setting up the formation for a renewed refinement.

After taking stock, Luo Ming was overjoyed.

Although this operation was extremely risky, and even nearly exhausted my mental energy, the rewards far exceeded my expectations!

Not only did he obtain the Fiery Sun Bird Demon Core and True Fire that he desired most, as well as rare pills that could accelerate his cultivation and Geng Essence to strengthen his flying sword, he also gained the life's accumulation of two Nascent Soul cultivators, including magic treasures, materials, cultivation techniques, and jade slips containing their experiences, the value of which is immeasurable! It is enough to support his cultivation and various needs for a long time to come.

"Silver Moon, we've really struck gold this time," Luo Ming said to Silver Moon with a genuine smile.

"Hehe, Brother Luo is incredibly resourceful and decisive, so naturally you've reaped a great reward." Yin Yue was happy for him, but then asked with some concern.

"However, the commotion caused by killing two Nascent Soul elders from the Spirit Control Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect in succession is too great. Those two sects will definitely not let this go and will investigate relentlessly. Will we be in trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming's smile faded slightly. He nodded and said seriously, "That's right. Although I have tried my best to clean up the traces at the scene, the methods of Nascent Soul cultivators are unpredictable. It's hard to guarantee that the Yu Ling Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect don't have some special tracking techniques, or can deduce clues from other aspects. It's not advisable to stay here any longer."

He pondered for a moment, a decisive glint in his eyes: "Now, I've already exceeded my goal in Tiannan—obtaining the 'Thousand Demon Banner' refining method—and acquired so many resources. Staying here any longer would be too risky. Perfect timing, before the two sects fully react and before their surveillance network is fully deployed..."

Luo Ming cast his gaze into the distance, as if piercing through the clouds and the distance, looking towards the boundless "Boundless Sea".

"Let's return to Qinghu Cave first and reinforce and refine the 'Ten Thousand Souls Banner' using the newly acquired refining method to resolve the potential backlash from the Ghost King. Then... we'll directly return to the Chaotic Star Sea via the ancient teleportation array!"

"Return to the Chaotic Star Sea?" Silver Moon's eyes lit up.

"Excellent," Luo Ming affirmed. "Firstly, it allows us to avoid the impending storm in Tiannan, and I don't know what marked items might be in their storage bags. Secondly, I still have some matters to attend to in the Chaotic Star Sea, and the vastness of the area, unlike the overcrowded sect headquarters here, makes it more conducive to my secluded cultivation, preparing... to condense my Nascent Soul!"

When he mentioned the words "condensing the nascent soul," Luo Ming's eyes shone with intense confidence and anticipation.

His magical power has now accumulated to a considerable degree, and he has recently obtained a pill that can accelerate his cultivation. In addition, the environment outside the Chaotic Star Ocean is relatively stable... The time to condense his nascent soul seems to be not far off.

"That's wonderful! If Brother Luo can successfully condense his Nascent Soul, with your foundation and accumulated experience, your strength will undergo a tremendous change! At that time, you will be able to return to Tiannan with much more ease," Yin Yue said excitedly.

Luo Ming smiled and nodded, saying nothing more, and began to close his eyes to regulate his breathing, recovering his depleted spiritual energy and mana. Under Yin Yue's control, the Wind-Escape Shuttle transformed into a streak of azure light, cutting through the sky and flying towards Qinghu Lake.

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