Cultivation: Starting with Farming in the Spiritual Pivot Grotto

Chapter 77 The Beginning of Chaos

Five days passed, and the Lingjiu Cave was completely filled with rich spiritual energy.

Li Ya sat cross-legged beneath the Dragon Blood Treasure Tree, his aura contained. The Spirit Coffin Cave Heaven had completed its transformation.

It breaks down the barrier between the physical body and the grotto-heaven, using the physical body as a medium to anchor the small world of the coffin grotto-heaven to the outside world.

The coffin grotto is no longer a pocket that only takes in and never comes out, but an existence that can depend on the outside world.

Just like those grand and magnificent caves and secret realms, they can still operate smoothly for thousands of years even without the maintenance of cultivators.

With just a slight thought, he vanished instantly and reappeared in Fallen Dragon Valley, without needing to open a rift in the cave as before.

The next instant, a vast and powerful force flowed out from the cave, filling the entire body with spiritual energy.

"This is the power of the grotto-heaven."

Li Ya's gaze swept across the surrounding ground, finally settling on the spot where the spiritual vein had broken.

That was a branch vein that originated from the main spiritual energy vein of Fallen Dragon Valley, which was forcibly severed by the earth fire earlier.

The spiritual vein, which was originally buried deep underground, has now been exposed, and its spiritual energy is leaking out incessantly. If its source continues to dissipate, it will not be long before this spiritual vein disappears completely.

"Although the spiritual vein is severed and disconnected from the main vein, its fundamental origin remains."

The Ling Shu Cave Heaven will continue to expand, and a single small spiritual vein is far from sufficient.

If we could capture this broken spiritual vein as a whole, move it into the cave heaven, and integrate it into the spiritual field and spiritual vein, it might be possible to elevate the spiritual vein of the cave heaven to another level.

"Now that I can borrow the power of the cave heaven in the outside world and absorb a broken spiritual vein, it's not too difficult."

Once the decision was made, there was no more hesitation.

Li Ya's mind began to connect with the Ling Shu Cave Heaven.

An invisible and intangible power quietly spread from his body, enveloping the cave entrance.

The next moment, an invisible and intangible power of the grotto-heaven penetrated the ground and covered the broken spiritual veins.

For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator to move a spiritual vein, they would have to rely on a powerful treasure, activate their supernatural abilities, and tear apart the terrain, which would be extremely costly.

But at this moment, acting with the power of the cave is a completely different story.

The invisible power of the cave covered every part of the broken spiritual vein, leaving no tiny vein untouched, until the entire spiritual vein was completely enveloped.

"receive!"

Li Ya silently uttered a sound in his heart.

Without breaking the soil or rocks, the spiritual grotto-heaven naturally had its own guiding force. Under the scorched earth, the surface of the spiritual veins slightly twisted, and then the power of the grotto-heaven suddenly tightened.

The small, broken spiritual vein vanished instantly, silently sinking into the cave.

"Splash!"

The moment the spiritual vein disappeared, the ground around Li Ya suddenly collapsed, leaving a long, sunken ravine.

The moment the broken spiritual vein fell into the cave, a deep pit split open on the main peak of the Spirit Pivot. Countless streams of light from the original spiritual vein entangled it and pulled it downwards.

The fusion of two spiritual veins, one new and one old, cannot be accomplished in a single day; the surrounding earth veins will adjust accordingly.

After finishing his business here, Li Ya began to think about how to find Senior Brother Lingji and Senior Sister Qin.

Now the heartland has turned into scorched earth, with crisscrossing, bottomless cracks in the ground, and countless rare treasures and exotic beasts have been reduced to ashes by the fire.

Li Ya searched the entire hinterland but didn't see many cultivators.

The further north you go, the more life there is around you.

Li Ya's foot, which was about to take a step, suddenly stopped, and he gripped the Nine Yang Talisman Sword even tighter.

A loud panting sound suddenly rang out, and then it vanished without a trace.

Looking around, one could see a long trail of blood, as if left by a seriously injured person crawling.

Li Ya quickly retracted his raised foot, wanting only to leave as soon as possible. Who knew if this was bait from other cultivators, luring greedy cultivators who wanted to take advantage of his vulnerability?

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"

Before they could take a few steps back, a voice came from the opposite direction of the bloodstains.

Even though Li Ya had not developed divine consciousness, his spiritual perception far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators. In the shadow formed by the jumbled rocks to his right, there was an extremely faint aura.

"That's that again. If it were the Spirit Stone that wanted to say it, I might stay, but for anyone else, forget it!"

Li Ya paused slightly, neither replying nor stopping, his eyes scanning the surroundings, wondering if accomplices were hiding elsewhere.

With his other hand, he gripped the talisman tightly, ready to flee at any moment.

"Fellow Daoist, I am not a bad person. What evil intentions could I possibly have given you in this state?"

The cultivator hiding in the shadows spoke, and to dispel Li Ya's concerns, he pushed aside the rocks that were covering him.

Li Ya's pupils contracted as he saw a cultivator in a blue robe sitting on the ground, his once elegant clothes now tattered and soaked in blood.

A gruesome, penetrating wound ran from his chest straight to his abdomen, and Li Ya could even see his heart beating slightly.

"You wouldn't be afraid of someone as crippled as me, would you?"

Li Ya remained silent, instead examining the ethereal cloud patterns on his robes. The lines were elegant and the style unique, marking the Tai Xuan Dao, a top sect in the Central Continent.

Could this be a disciple of the Tai Xuan Dao?

Li Ya's eyes were calm, and his heart was undisturbed.

"So what if it's the Tai Xuan Dao? With such an opportunity before you, who cares what sect or faction you belong to?"

In the Valley of Fallen Dragons, opportunity and death coexist. Those who enter are all there for the sake of opportunity, each relying on their own abilities and accepting their own destiny.

The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, the victors survive and the losers perish, is starkly evident even without Bai Yujing's suppression.

On the path of spiritual practice, the worst thing is to meddle in other people's business. It is best to avoid troublesome matters; getting involved in them will only lead to chaos.

Li Ya glanced at it indifferently, then looked away, took a step, and prepared to leave.

"Fellow Daoist...please wait!"

"I do not ask for your assistance, fellow Daoist. I only ask that you hand over this Sumeru bag to my Tai Xuan Dao sect. I will be richly rewarded!"

After saying that, he didn't care whether Li Ya agreed or not.

He raised his hand to take off the bracelet, intending to throw the Sumeru Bracelet, which bore the bloody palm print, over, but unexpectedly, he was exhausted and the bracelet rolled to the ground.

"Are you really so confident that I, a complete stranger, will keep my promise?"

"I'll be frank with you, fellow Daoist, that there's a great treasure inside this bracelet. Once we leave this Fallen Dragon Valley, my Tai Xuan Dao elder will know the bracelet's location. Unless we leave the Central Continent, we can't escape it."

With each additional word he uttered, a trickle of bright red blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

"Furthermore... the bracelet is protected by a profound restriction technique, which even a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak of their cultivation cannot break."

"Fellow Daoist, if you are willing to help me with this matter, the Tai Xuan Dao will repay any kindness shown to you. If you are not willing, you may turn around and leave now."

Li Ya remained unmoved. Just as he was about to turn and leave, a whooshing sound came from the air.

"Found it! It's right here!"

"It's Yan Wangji, he's right here!"

The next instant, several sharp streaks of light landed steadily not far away, and seven or eight fierce cultivators dressed in different sects' attire stared intently at Li Ya with eyes as sharp as knives.

The first thing they saw was Yan Wangji lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Their gazes then fell on Li Ya, their eyes instantly filled with intense killing intent.

"That kid almost got lucky!"

Li Ya spoke with some helplessness, trying his best to be sincere.

"I didn't do anything, I didn't touch anything. Let me leave, do as you please!"

"Hmph!" The leading man's eyes were cold, and his tone was unfriendly. "Let me examine you properly later before you leave!"

Li Ya understood that nothing he said at this point could explain things clearly.

Even if they truly believed that he hadn't touched any of the treasures, they wouldn't let him leave.

Since Yan Wangji is destined to die, he naturally won't let someone who knows who killed him leave.

No force in the Central Continent dares to confidently say that they are completely unafraid of the behemoth that is Tai Xuan Dao.

"The Dragon Ball fragments that Yan Wangji had must have ended up in this kid's hands."

The group of cultivators stared at Li Ya without restraint, trying to figure out his cultivation level.

"There's no point in saying more. Let's surround him and prevent him from escaping. Once those guys from the Sanyi Dao Sect arrive, we'll hand him over to them. We're only getting a few bucks, why risk our lives like this?"

Li Ya knew perfectly well that he had no way to defend himself, and no one would believe him anyway.

Fortunately, it was protected by the power of the cave heaven, so ordinary cultivators could not see through its secrets.

He didn't want to explain further; the more he explained, the more suspicious the other party would become.

Li Ya had even thought of his explanation.

This boy's endless explanations must be an attempt to conceal something; the treasure must be on him. Such a cunning person should not be allowed to live.

Or perhaps, this boy's various explanations are merely attempts to attract our attention, making us mistakenly believe that the treasure is on him, when in fact it is hidden elsewhere. Such a cunning person must not be allowed to live.

Li Ya's mind raced as he quickly devised a solution.

There were seven cultivators on the other side, all at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Judging from their skillful coordination when they surrounded the enemy, they must have had experience in besieging other cultivators before, and their teamwork was excellent.

More importantly, while the other cultivators all believed that he had taken the treasure of Tai Xuan Dao Yan Wang Ji, he didn't even know what it was.

"Fellow Daoist, surrender now."

The chubby cultivator stepped forward, trying to persuade Li Ya: "Hand over the Dragon Ball fragments you have, and we will let you leave."

"How could we lower-level cultivators be qualified to use such a treasure? We might as well hand it over and exchange it for something more tangible."

The seven people moved their positions slowly, seemingly casually, but in reality, they had already quietly completed the encirclement, blocking all escape routes and giving Li Ya no chance to get away.

Li Ya glanced indifferently at the crowd, then spoke in a cool, unwavering voice: "I don't have the Dragon Ball fragments you're looking for. I only just heard about this treasure myself."

Upon hearing this, the seven cultivators who had gathered around burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! What a wonderful person I just heard about! I've never seen anyone lie so convincingly before."

"Boy, things have come to this point, what's the point of hiding anything? Tai Xuan Dao's Yan Wangji is right next to you, his Sumeru magic weapon is right under your feet, are we seven blind?"

No matter what he says or how he tries to refute it today, no one will believe him.

Since we've already taken the blame, we can't just leave without any benefits. Something that the disciples of Tai Xuan Dao would risk their lives to protect can't be too bad, right?

Once this thought was made, Li Ya no longer hesitated.

The power of the cave enveloped Yan Wangji and the Sumeru Bracelet. Fortunately, the Ling Shu Cave had already completed its transformation, otherwise the Sumeru artifact would not have been able to be brought into the cave.

He then took out a Sumeru bag from his waist, which he used to deceive others, and said with a sigh and a helpless expression.

"Since that's the case, then you can have it!"

After saying that, he threw the fake item into the air, and the seven people's eyes were instantly drawn to it.

The next instant, Yan Wangji on the ground, along with the Sumeru Bracelet, was enveloped by the invisible power of the cave and disappeared without a trace.

"You ungrateful brat, attack!"

With a roar, the fat cultivator struck first, his true energy forming a blade that tore through the air and slashed straight at Li Ya's head.

The other six people moved at the same time.

Seven beams of true energy crisscrossed, instantly covering all of Li Ya's evasive positions, leaving him no room to escape.

Li Ya's pupils narrowed slightly. Without time to think, he dodged rapidly. With the power of ice, he moved like the wind, not a single leaf touching him.

These seven cultivators coordinated skillfully, avoiding direct confrontation and instead using a pulling and locking technique.

Whenever Li Ya manipulates the power of the cave heaven to return to the Ling Shu Cave Heaven, the moment he pauses, he will be locked in by several spells at the same time, interrupting him.

This doesn't mean he can't return to Ling Shu Cave Heaven, but he'll have to pay with injuries, which is not what Li Ya wants.

However, these seven people did not seem to be using their full strength; they were simply surrounding the area.

At this moment, the entire battlefield was surrounded by rocks, and he might not be able to outrun these cultivators who had mastered escape techniques.

Only on the west side was a waterway. As Li Ya looked to the west, the besieging cultivators immediately noticed him.

At this moment, Li Ya suddenly headed west, and the cultivators, who were already prepared, also adjusted their formation to the west.

"Trying to run away!"

The crowd instantly saw through his intentions and launched several fierce attacks to block the west.

Li Ya moved like an eel, instantly changing direction and throwing out an object the size of a walnut.

"Eat my Heavenly Thunder Child!"

Upon hearing this, several cultivators immediately dodged backward, and Li Ya also took the opportunity to hide in the pile of rocks and circulate the power of his cave.

In an instant, his figure, like a phantom, merged directly into the air and vanished into the Spirit Pivot Cave Heaven.

When the seven cultivators rushed into the pile of rocks, they were instantly stunned, their faces full of surprise and doubt.

Where are they?

"They just rushed in here, how did they just vanish into thin air?"

"Search! Quickly spread out and search! There must be secret passages, fissures, or concealment formations in this pile of rocks! He couldn't have just vanished into thin air!"

"It's all your fault! How could that thunderbolt be real? You believed him when he said it!"

"I believe you, I truly believe you. If you don't believe me, try it yourself in the future."

"Okay! I believe it too!"

"Alright, stop arguing. Let's look for it. Otherwise, how are we going to ask those fat sheep from the Sanyi Sect for money later?"

Inside the Ling Shu Cave, Li Ya looked at Yan Wangji, whose aura was growing weaker and weaker, and said...

"If I were to place this bracelet within this celestial realm, do you think your sect's elders would be able to find it!"

Yan Wangji raised his eyes with difficulty, looked at Li Ya, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"I...I didn't expect...Fellow Daoist actually possesses a small, hidden world. It seems we won't be able to find them now!"

His voice was broken and intermittent, and he sounded like a faint whisper.

"It's alright, it's alright, as long as those fake Taoists from the Sanyi Sect don't get the Dragon Ball fragments, that's fine."

Li Ya knew that even if he left the Sumeru Bracelet in the cave, he would not be able to open it for a period of time. He had already tried the Fangcun Snail, but it was impossible to find a way to open it.

Li Ya looked calmly into the other person's eyes and asked the most crucial question in his mind: "I don't understand why you are so sure that I will help you, instead of handing this bracelet over to them."

This was the only thing he couldn't understand; he didn't believe that anyone could truly predict the future.

Upon hearing this, Yan Wangji managed a weak smile, revealing a bittersweet expression, with a hint of triumphant satisfaction in his eyes.

"I'm betting that if I don't meet you, the Dragon Ball fragments will end up in their hands. If I do meet you, there's only a 50% chance of getting them."

"But in the end, there is a 30% chance of winning, which is already a very high odds. When my senior brother and I play cards, we only have a 10% chance of winning."

"You won the bet!"

There was no real scheme involved; Yan Wangji was simply gambling. If he lost, things couldn't get any worse, but if he won, it would be a complete turnaround.